Man's Best Friend
by DareU2Bme
Summary: AU. Blaine, the Hudmel family's pet, seems to have developed an obsession with Kurt. It is hard to resist Blaine's adorable infatuation, but Kurt needs to figure out how to deal with this sudden tragic and incredibly inappropriate love interest.
1. Chapter 1

**Title:** Man's Best Friend**  
>Pairings: <strong>Kurt/Blaine**  
>Rating: <strong>R**  
>Warnings: <strong>Pet!Blaine, Bullying, Violence, Prejudice, Human Rights Issues, Angst, Sex... and lots of things other I'm probably failing to list.

**Note: **Please realize that this is not your average love story in any way, shape or form. This is a _very_ alternative pairing and if the idea of intellectual in-equals bothers you a great deal, I will be the first to tell you that this is definitely not the story for you. Blaine in this story is **not** a furre, **not** a hybrid, **not** a were-animal, not anything like that... he is a person with a genetically inherited, severely low IQ.

While his brain isn't even physically capable of generating the same thought processes as a regular human, his heart is so much higher functioning. This is a story that turned from a kink into a study on human nature and love that turned into an entire verse that I call my pet!Blaine verse.

I've had plenty of people really, absolutely _love_ it, and I've had plenty of people who have left not-so-nice responses as reviews here and comments elsewhere. I am very much aware that this is not normal and that some people will find it disturbing (honestly, if you DON'T find some of the themes in this story disturbing, you don't have a heart), I want you to be aware going into this that this is a story where you should heed the Warning, even if the general 'pet!Blaine' warning seems a little vague.

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><p><strong><em>Chapter One<em>**

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><p>School was over for the day and Kurt was at home. He sat cross-legged on his bed with his back pressed against the soft plush of his headboard while he worked on his homework. He was so engrossed in his reading that he didn't notice when his bedroom door shifted open or the soft sound of bare feet padding into the room. Perhaps, he actually had noticed, but he was so used to the routine by then, that he just took it for granted. Either way, he wasn't surprised and didn't look up when the bed dipped with the weight of a second body. Instead, he continued to scan through his text book, trying to ignore the second person in the room.<p>

"Blaine," Kurt finally said with a sigh, "I've got a lot of homework to do."

The other person didn't speak. They didn't even move. Grumbling to himself, Kurt tried to continue working. He flipped through his text book, glancing back to his notes every so often. Finally, though, the feeling of being watched grew too much for him. He straightened his shoulders and glanced up only to be met with intense honey hazel eyes. Kurt glared at the curly haired boy who was sitting statue still, back straight, muscles tense, and wearing _the most_ painfully earnest expression on his face.

"What do you want?" asked Kurt in annoyance.

The light in the boy's eyes danced when Kurt spoke and he reached to place a hand on Kurt's knee. Groaning, Kurt let out a sigh of resignation and pushed his books aside. Blaine quickly resituated himself so he was lying on his back with his head and shoulders resting in Kurt's lap. It may seem strange, but it was a familiar position for them.

"Where's your shirt?" asked Kurt even though he didn't expect a response. "Why can't we ever keep shirts on you, hmm?"

Blaine simply wriggled in Kurt's lap and gave him an expectant look. Kurt rolled his eyes and reached out to rub a hand over the boy's chest and down his abdomen bringing a soft groan out from Blaine.

They were not lovers, nor were they even friends. Blaine was actually the family pet. He was human, yes, but not enough so to get the same treatment as a 'true' human. Not every human pet loved belly rubs, but, to Kurt's own personal irritation, Blaine _definitely_ did and wasn't shy about asking for them.

Kurt felt weird about it, especially considering how attractive Blaine was –well, would be if he weren't a pet. Being the only "out" kid in his school in a small city of hicks made him feel conspicuous of something that was already a tender subject. So, Kurt always did his best not to notice the softly defined muscles of Blaine's abdomen or the light sprinkling of dark hair trailing down from his navel during Blaine's belly rubs. Instead, he let his mind wander as he rubbed Blaine's stomach.

That afternoon, Kurt's thoughts wandered from his day at school and his upcoming assignments, to glee club, his best friend, Mercedes, and his plans for the upcoming weekend.

A good ten minutes had passed and Kurt was getting anxious to get back to his school work. He looked down at the boy still lying in his lap. Blaine's eyes were rolled back in his head and a blissful smile had turned up his lips. He was flat on his back, his legs splayed open just like a dog getting his belly rubbed, and... there was a growing bulge... in his pants.

"UGH!" exclaimed Kurt, pulling his hand away from Blaine as if it had been burned. "Gross, Blaine!"

The curly haired boy just let out a sigh and turned to snuggle his face into Kurt.

"No," said Kurt, jiggling his legs so that Blaine would sit up. "I have to get back to my homework and you've definitely had enough of a belly rub. Where'd you leave your shirt? Go get your shirt. Go on."

Kurt pushed gently at the boy's shoulder. Blaine finally got up and slid off the bed. He let out a low exhale of dissatisfaction before padding back across the room toward Kurt's door. That was when Kurt spotted the blue t-shirt lying on the floor near his dresser.

"There's your shirt," said Kurt, pointing at it. "Put it on and go bug someone else."

Obediently, Blaine picked it up and pulled it on over his head before leaving the room. Kurt waited until the boy had pulled the door shut behind him before he shook his head to himself and grabbed his text books. He still wasn't sure what the point of having the boy for a pet was; all he did was get in the way.

* * *

><p>It couldn't have been more than fifteen minutes later when Carole's voice carried up the stairs breaking Kurt from his thoughts.<p>

"Kurt," she hollered, "Blaine needs a walk!"

"Get Finn to do it," Kurt called back.

"I exercised him yesterday!" yelled Finn from his bedroom directly across the hall.

"Kurt!" called out Carole, again.

Letting out a shriek of exasperation from behind grit teeth, Kurt slammed his text book shut and stormed out of his room. He knocked loudly on Finn's bedroom door before opening it. Finn didn't look up from his video game.

"Finn," sighed Kurt. "I have an essay due tomorrow; can you please just deal with Blaine tonight? I'll take him the next three days in a row."

"Okay," replied Finn, still staring at his television screen. "Just let me... pass... this... next level... so I can save."

Kurt rolled his eyes as Finn made faces at the television screen and leaned to the left and then the right while he worked the controller in his hands.

"Great, thanks," said Kurt before turning on his heel to leave.

He stepped into the hallway just in time to_ almost_ walk straight into Carole who was holding onto Blaine by the collar. Blaine had goofily guilty grin on his face.

"Kurt," she said in a soft but serious tone, "he's been cooped up in the house all day and he's getting a little stir crazy –which is driving _me _crazy."

"Finn said he'd do it," answered Kurt quickly, trying to ignore the pleading looks Blaine was giving him.

Carole frowned at Kurt but nodded. She led Blaine to Finn's bedroom door where Kurt had just come from while Kurt dashed into his own bedroom, shutting his door behind him.

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><p>Kurt was back on his bed writing up a rough draft of his essay. He was relieved to finally be getting somewhere with his essay and knew that the rest would come much more easily now that he had a good hold of where he was going with it. He heard a thump followed by Finn shouting something. Startled, he turned on his bed to glance out his bedroom window at the backyard below.<p>

He chuckled to himself when he saw Finn chasing Blaine around the yard trying to get a football from the shorter boy's grasp. Finn had long legs, but Blaine was incredibly agile and managed to keep just out of his reach. Finn was just within reach of Blaine when threw himself at the back of the boy's legs to tackle him down. The curly haired boy let out a yelp and hit the ground with a thump similar to what had startled Kurt from his homework moments earlier.

In that moment, it was hard to tell that one of the two boys was a _house pet_, (save for the soft brown collar around Blaine's neck). Instead, it just looked like Finn and one of his friends were wrestling over the football in the backyard. Kurt laughed at their antics before turning back to his essay –he really needed to get it down while he was on a roll.

Kurt had finished editing the rough copy of his essay and was putting his books away so he could take a break, when he heard the screen door open and close downstairs. He could hear Finn's heavy footsteps move into the kitchen, but audibly groaned when he recognized the light padding of feet coming up the stairs. He quickly placed his books and papers in a neat pile on his dresser and was turning from his dresser just in time to see Blaine push open his bedroom door.

"Hi, Blaine," sighed Kurt. "Did you have fun outside?"

Blaine grinned at him and stepped into the room, collapsing on Kurt's bed.

"There's grass all over you," commented Kurt, putting a hand on his hip and cocking an eyebrow. "And you're going to get it all over my bed."

The boy pushed himself up on his elbows and looked expectantly over at Kurt.

"I don't know what you want," said Kurt. "But I'm going to go help Carole make supper."

Blaine simply rolled onto his back and squirmed around on the bed, moving the blankets around to make himself a little nest to cuddle in.

"Don't mess up my bed," grumbled Kurt before leaving the room and heading downstairs to the kitchen.

"Where'd Blaine go?" asked Finn when Kurt reached the bottom of the stairs.

"On my bed," replied Kurt, not stopping as he walked into the kitchen.

"I don't get why he likes you so much," complained Finn, following behind Kurt.

"That makes two of us," answered Kurt, shortly.

When Kurt hadn't turned out to be the most fun of brothers, Finn had begged Carole and Burt for a pet boy to play with. Burt never liked the idea of human pets, but had taken the family to the local home to check out what they had in stock. It had actually been Carole who had fallen in love with Blaine the moment she laid eyes on him and who had begged they take him home.

Blaine had only been with them two months by this point, but it hadn't taken long for him to start a routine of irritating Kurt from the moment he got home from school until the moment he left again the next morning. Blaine had latched onto Kurt almost immediately upon being introduced into the family. Kurt absolutely hated how Blaine would follow him around the house, would climb into his lap, and would whine at him giving him those big brown puppy dog eyes just asking for his undivided attention. Kurt just wanted to be left alone. It took a few weeks, but Kurt _did_ slowly begin to warm up to Blaine, though he still maintained a fairly cold exterior to him.

Kurt wouldn't admit that he was beginning to enjoy the attention he received from the short boy. Still, it was a bit much at times and Kurt liked his space. To make matters worse, if it wasn't Blaine who was following Kurt around the house like a lovesick puppy, it was Finn. If ever the gangly teenage boy would get bored, he would seek out Kurt and bother him until Kurt found a way to entertain him. It might not be nice to say, but Finn reminded Kurt of a house pet more than of a regular boy a lot of the time.

"Seriously, though, Kurt," continued Finn, breaking into Kurt's thoughts. "You're nothing but mean to him and all he ever wants to do is be around you. It isn't fair; he's supposed to be my pet."

"He's the whole family's, Finn," cut in Carole, turning from the kitchen counter to look at both of the boys who had just entered. "You don't have to be jealous of his interest in Kurt, besides you still have fun playing with him."

"I guess," answered Finn with a shrug.

"You know, when I was little, I got a cat for my birthday," said Carole, thoughtfully, as she leaned down to pull a mixing bowl out of a bottom cabinet. "And even though she was my cat, she absolutely loved my mom. She would follow her around the house all the time and curl up in her lap when Mom sat in her rocking chair. I was so jealous! But you can't choose what family member a pet will latch on to."

"It wouldn't be so bad if Blaine were a cat," muttered Kurt to himself.

As if summoned by the topic, Blaine suddenly came ambling into the room.

"So, you make a mess of my bed just to leave it?" asked Kurt, glaring at Blaine.

"C'mon, Blaine," said Finn, enthusiastically, "Let's go watch TV until supper time."

Finn turned and left the kitchen. He walked a few steps and turned around to beckon Blaine to follow. Blaine looked from Finn to Kurt apprehensively.

"Go with Finn," sighed Kurt, motioning to Finn. "Go on, get."

Blaine stuck out his lower lip in a little pout before turning and following Finn to the living room.

"It almost seems like he understands everything you say," laughed Carole as she watched Blaine leave.

"I wish," replied Kurt, "Then maybe he'd leave me alone when I tell him to."

Carole chuckled lightly before pulling a few things out of the cabinets.

"So, what are we making tonight?" asked Kurt, rolling up his sleeves.

"I found this heart-healthy recipe for Apple Chicken Breasts," answered Carole. "I want to try it out; perhaps your dad'll like it."

"We can only hope," sighed Kurt. "It seems like there's nothing healthy that he likes."

"More reason for us to try out new recipes," replied Carole with a smile and a wink.


	2. Chapter 2

**Title:** Man's Best Friend  
><strong>Pairings<strong>: Kurt/Blaine  
><strong>Rating<strong>: R  
><strong>Warnings:<strong> Pet!Blaine and all that pertains to that.. also, beware, this is all unbetaed!

****Note**: **Please realize that this is not your average love story in any way, shape or form. This is a _very_ alternative pairing and if the idea of intellectual in-equals bothers you a great deal, I will be the first to tell you that this is definitely not the story for you. Blaine in this story is not a furre, not a hybrid, not a were-animal, not anything like that... he is a person with a genetically inherited, severely low IQ. While his brain isn't even physically capable of generating the same thought processes as a regular human, his heart is so much more higher functioning. This is a story that turned from a kink into study on human nature and love that turned into an entire verse that I call my pet!Blaine verse. I've had lots of people really absolutely love it and I've had plenty of people who have left not-so-nice responses as reviews here and comments elsewhere. I am very much aware that this is not normal and that some people will find it disturbing (honestly, if you DON'T find some of the themes in this story disturbing, you don't have a heart), I want you to be aware going into this that this is a story where you should heed the Warning, even if the general 'pet!Blaine' warning seems a little vague.

.

.

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><p><strong>Chapter Two<em><br>_**

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><p>Dinner had actually been a success that night. Burt had come home with a huge appetite and having the name of a fruit included in the title of his entree that evening hadn't deterred Burt. He had even taken second helpings of the meal, which Kurt hoped was a sign that his father wouldn't be sneaking out to the garage before bed for a bag of chips. Burt thought he was so sneaky hiding his secret stash of junk food out there, but both Carole and Kurt knew about it.<p>

After the meal, Kurt had curled up on the plush sofa in the living room to watch some mindless television with Finn and Burt, but Blaine had been quick to find him. Hating how awkward he felt sitting in the same room as his father whilst having a teenage boy in his lap, even if said boy was a pet, Kurt had pushed Blaine off and headed back upstairs to lock himself in his room.

Kurt pulled out his notebook and walked over to his desk. Now that he had his rough draft of his essay written and edited, he would rewrite it on his computer. This was his last year of high school and he was serious about getting the best grades in all his classes, his future was depending on it, after all. It was only nine that evening when Kurt had finished his essay and was watching the pages come out of the printer, fresh and warm and ready to be given an A+.

Sighing to himself, Kurt wondered what he would do with the rest of his evening. So far, he had been lucky to have not been disturbed by Blaine after leaving the needy boy in the living room, but he was worried that if he so much as took a few steps toward his bedroom door, Blaine would magically sense it and come padding up the stairs in his usual manner.

Kurt didn't usually spend so much effort actively avoiding the bright-eyed boy, but Blaine had been coming on increasingly stronger in the past few days. That coupled with his random erection at getting his stomach rubbed had been enough to make Kurt incredibly uncomfortable around the boy. Kurt couldn't dwell on that, though, and he definitely couldn't blame him. Whether or not he was of average human intelligence or had the inherited genetic flaws to cause much of his brain to be underdeveloped, Blaine was a seventeen year old boy who was definitely going to get hard from time to time.

Sure, it was socially acceptable these days to have a pet human, but it still felt weird to Kurt. Even if Blaine was supposedly closer in intelligence to that of a dog, he had the body of a person, a very attractive male person. It just felt really wrong to have been the one to have given Blaine the erection.

Kurt shuddered to himself.  
>No. He needed to get over this. The only thing really wrong with what had gone down was that Kurt was still thinking about it. Kurt was being creepy for over-thinking it, for even paying attention to it. He needed to just forget about it and move on. Blaine was a glorified puppy and Blaine liked his tummy rubbed; End of Story. Still, Kurt couldn't imagine obliging again –not for a long while, at least.<p>

Kurt switched off his printer and picked up the pages of his essay that had been printed. After stapling them together, he carefully placed the essay in between the pages of his notebook so the paper wouldn't be creased. He put all his books back in his bag so they would be ready for school the next day and then turned to fix the mess Blaine had made of his bed earlier. Once the blankets were straightened and Kurt had brushed a few stray blades of grass from the bed top, he sat down on his bed with the latest copy of Vogue.

He wasn't hiding from Blaine. He just wanted to relax and be alone. It didn't matter that he had already gone through that particular issue of Vogue about one hundred times already and it sure didn't matter that he was missing "The Bachelor". Maybe he just didn't feel like watching his favourite show right then, maybe he wanted to spend the rest of the evening in solitude. No, he was definitely over the whole 'weirdness' from the belly rub and was definitely, definitely not hiding from Blaine.

"I don't know why you complain about him," said Mercedes, suddenly.

"What?" stammered Kurt, looking up from his book.

Mercedes had come home with Kurt after school. It was Friday and the two of them had big plans for Saturday. Mercedes' favourite clothes store was having a huge two-day sale that weekend and, even though that particular store wasn't his style, Kurt could never pass up a sale. They had decided to do their homework that evening so they would have the weekend free. Kurt was at his desk and Mercedes sprawled across his bed, both with text books open.

"You're always complaining about your new pet and how he's always bothering you," explained Mercedes, looking pointedly at Kurt's left hand.

Kurt looked down at Blaine who was sitting on the floor next to his chair. Kurt had been absentmindedly running his fingers through Blaine's delicious curls for the past ten minutes while he was working on his math problems. Blushing, Kurt quickly snatched his hand away from Blaine's hair causing the dark haired boy to let out a whine at the loss of contact.

"I just... I..." stammered Kurt, looking sheepish.

"Hey, no need to be embarrassed," laughed Mercedes. "He's a hot little thing and you get to keep him in your room! I for one, am insanely jealous."

"Oh my g... Mercedes!" cried out Kurt.

"What?"

"You can't just... you can't... that's just... that's wrong," sputtered Kurt, shaking his head as his cheeks turned even brighter. "I'm surprised at you! I mean, if Santana had said that, yeah, I would not have been surprised, but..."

"Oh stop it," snapped Mercedes, rolling her eyes at Kurt. "I'm not saying you should have sex with your boy! I'm just saying that you complain a lot for someone who has a cute boy who wants to cuddle with them 24/7."

Kurt sighed and let his shoulders relax a little.

"It's kind of sad that he's probably the most action I'll see as a teenager, isn't it?" asked Kurt, his voice sounding even more dejected than his posture made him look. "I'm the only out gay kid at our school and with the bullying how it is, I doubt that if there are others, they'll be coming out any time soon. I'll just have to wait until college to have someone."

"Aww, Kurt," crooned Mercedes, moving into a sitting position. She patted the bed beside her, beckoning him. "C'mere."

Kurt smiled sadly and got up from his seat to move to sit with Mercedes on the bed.

"It isn't all that bad," said Kurt as he settled onto the bed next to Mercedes. "I have amazing friends like you and I'm getting out of this stupid town the moment I graduate."

"New York isn't gonna know what hit it," laughed Mercedes, patting Kurt's knee.

Just then, both Kurt and Mercedes felt someone pushing at them. They both looked down to see Blaine working to wedge himself between the them. Mercedes laughed and moved over a little to let Blaine sit in between them. He pressed himself tightly into Kurt's side and smiled up at him.

"He is so jealous," said Mercedes between giggles. "It's probably a good thing you don't have a boyfriend, or he'd run them right outta your house if they ever dared visit."

Kurt rolled his eyes.

"Blaine, go find Finn or something," he said, pushing on Blaine's head to make him back up.

Instead of moving away from the pressure of Kurt's hand, though, Blaine hummed happily and moved his head a little so that Kurt's hand was pressed against his cheek. He nuzzled Kurt's hand for a moment before moving to sit in Kurt's lap.

"Ugh," grumbled Kurt. "You're impossible."

"You like it," teased Mercedes as she watched Blaine curl up in Kurt's lap as Kurt attempted to push him away.

"Maybe YOU would like it, Mercedes," snapped Kurt. "But I don't and... Blaine! You're wrinkling my shirt!"

Mercedes almost toppled over from laughing so hard.

"Blaine, Baby," she said between spouts of laughter. "Kurt's pretending he doesn't want you right now, but I'll take you."

The curly haired boy looked over at Mercedes and tipped his head to the side as if considering. Kurt grabbed onto his collar and pulled him from his lap.

"Go to Mercedes, Blaine," grumbled Kurt.

Blaine let out a small whine but crawled across the bed to sit down next to Mercedes. He rested his chin on her shoulder, but didn't take his eyes off of Kurt.

Mercedes groaned into her pillow and rolled over on the air mattress.

"Kurt, are you sure we can't just let him sleep in here?" she asked. "He's been whining at the door for an hour! If we're going to get up as ridiculously early tomorrow morning as you said, we neeeed to get to sleep."

"I don't want him sleeping in here, Mercedes," said Kurt in an equally annoyed tone. "If I let him sleep in here just once, it'll end up becoming a routine for him or something. Besides, he has his own bed in Finn's room."

"He just doesn't like knowing that I'm in here with you," said Mercedes, her voice squeaky with exhaustion. "Can't we just unlock the door so he can see that I'm not ravishing you or whatever he's so worried about?"

"Give him some time, he'll quiet down soon enough," replied Kurt, using a tone that meant he was done discussing it.

"Fine," sighed Mercedes as she shifted on her air mattress to get more comfortable.

Kurt let his head fall back into his pillows and sighed irritatedly. Blaine knew he wasn't allowed to sleep in Kurt's room. His bed was in Finn's room and Kurt had never let Blaine sleep in his at night, so why was this suddenly an issue for Blaine?

Something in Kurt's stomach twisted at what Mercedes had said. Maybe Blaine really was jealous and didn't like the idea of Mercedes sleeping in Kurt's room. No, he wasn't jealous. Maybe he was being protective of one of his family members, but Blaine wasn't jealous. The idea of Blaine even having the capacity to be jealous was absurd.

The next morning, though, Kurt opened his bedroom door only to trip over the dark-haired boy who was curled tightly in a ball and sleeping directly in front of Kurt's door. Blaine had actually been sleeping with his side pressed against the door. The movement of the door caused him to stir. He blinked his eyes open and looked up, immediately locking his honey hazel eyes on Kurt's cool grey ones.

"Are you even serious right now?" muttered Kurt as he stepped over Blaine and into the hallway.

Blaine moved to get up off the floor. Stretching his arms over his head and twisting his back so that it cracked, he quickly followed after Kurt down the stairs.

"You're up early," called out Carole in a soft voice when Kurt came into view.

"Mercedes and I plan on hitting the mall early," offered Kurt. "There's a huge sale this weekend and we want to get there while there's still the highest variety."

"Of course," replied Carole, smiling. "So, what do you two want for breakfast?"

"Oh, I don't know," replied Kurt. "Something quick, but Mercedes is still in the shower and I'd rather let her choose."

"I meant you and Blaine," laughed Carole.

"What?" asked Kurt, twisting so he could look behind him.

Blaine, of course, was standing behind him with his big puppy eyes and a little smile on his face.

"UGH! Blaine!" growled Kurt. "Can you ever leave me alone? Why do you follow me everywhere?"

Blaine's smile grew a little, knowing that Kurt's words were directed at him. The dark-haired boy took a step closer to Kurt and gave him a hopeful look.

"What do you WANT?" asked Kurt, curling his hands in fists.

"Calm down, Kurt," laughed Carole. "He just likes you."

"He likes me too much," answered Kurt, swinging around to face Carole again. "He kept Mercedes and me up into the wee hours of the morning whining at my bedroom door."

"So, " started Carole, as she began fixing some tea. "Why didn't you let him in?"

"I do not want him sleeping in my room," snapped Kurt.

Carole laughed lightly at Kurt's frustration.

"Oh Hun," she said, shaking her head as she smiled at Kurt. "You fight this too much, it probably only serves to make him try all the harder."

"Maybe." replied Kurt, his voice softer this time.

"Since you have a little bit of time before Mercedes comes down," spoke Carole. "Why don't you go take Blaine and brush his hair and get him shaved, he's starting to look a little rough."

Kurt let out another sigh of frustration but nodded.

"C'mon Blaine," he said, stepping past the curly-haired boy to make his way toward the stairs.

Happy to be called on by Kurt, Blaine bounced happily as he followed him.

"You have two hands," commented Kurt, as he lathered shaving cream onto Blaine's face. "I bet you could do this yourself."

Kurt raised an eyebrow at Blaine when he noticed just how much the boy was enjoying his fingers on his face.

"Even if you could learn to do it yourself, you probably would still want me or Carole to do it for you because you're such an attention whore," grumbled Kurt, though he was trying not to laugh at the blank look on Blaine's face.

Kurt picked up the razor and carefully ran it across Blaine's face in one sleek strip. He rinsed it off in the sink of water and then held the razor out to Blaine.

"You've seen us do this for you a thousand times," said Kurt. "I'm sure a monkey would have caught on by now."

Blaine gingerly took the razor from Kurt's hand before looking up into Kurt's face.

"Try it," said Kurt, directing Blaine's hand toward his face.

Frowning, Blaine gave Kurt one last look before turning to look in the mirror and raising the razor to his face. His hand was a little shaky, but it was obvious that he remembered all the times Carole and Kurt had done it before. He was doing it the same way they had.

"I knew you could do it," laughed Kurt, clapping his hands together happily.

It took longer than it would have if Kurt had just done it, himself, but Blaine managed to shave by himself with minimal injury to his skin. Kurt helped him rinse off his face and patted it dry with a soft towel.

"Good," said Kurt, patting Blaine on the shoulder.

Blaine smiled proudly at Kurt.

"Now we have to deal with those curls," said Kurt, squinting at Blaine's hair.

"What took you so long?" asked Mercedes when Blaine and Kurt came into the kitchen.

"Blaine shaved himself today," said Kurt, proudly.

"What? Really?" asked Carole in surprise as she set down a few plates on the table.

"I figured he'd seen it done a million times, and he does have opposable thumbs," said Kurt with a shrug.

"Dude, that's so awesome," exclaimed Finn from where he was sitting across the dining table. "I wonder what other tricks we can teach him."

"Shaving is not a trick, Finn," said Kurt with an air of dignity.

"It is a life skill, a necessity for proper hygiene."

"Yeah, well, it's pretty awesome," said Finn with a shrug before he went back to eating his breakfast.

When everyone had finished their breakfast, Kurt and Mercedes were quick to head for the door. They were already later than he had planned being and wanted to get to the mall before everyone had purchased the best items. Blaine followed them and watched sadly as Kurt and Mercedes slipped on their shoes.

"Aww, Kurt," said Mercedes looking at the pitiful expression on Blaine's face. "He wants to come too."

"Absolutely not," spoke Kurt.

"But look at him, Kurt," said Mercedes, puffing out her lips as he voice fell into a baby-talk sound. "He's soooo cute and he doesn't wanna be left here all on his own."

"Finn's gonna be home most of the day," replied Kurt. "We'll be too busy to be dealing with him at the mall, anyway. Plus, it isn't really encouraged to bring pets to the mall."

"But hes a people, Kurt," pouted Mercedes. "Aren't you Blaine? Yeah, you're just a big sweetie and you want to come too, right?"

Blaine raised an eyebrow at Mercedes' baby talk and gave her a confused look that almost had a hint of irritation in it. Kurt let out a loud laugh when he saw Blaine's face.

"See, even Blaine thinks you're being ridiculous," said Kurt with a laugh. "C'mon, 'Cedes, let's go."

"Alright," answered Mercedes, winking at Blaine. She turned before they stepped out of the house and called back to Carole. "Thank you for letting me stay over, Mrs Hummel!"

Carole probably called back in response, but Kurt was quick to shut the door and usher Mercedes to his Navigator. They got in the black SUV and buckled their seat belts. Kurt turned the key in the ignition and looked up through the windshield to see Blaine pressed against the living room window. Kurt frowned at the pitiful look on Blaine's face before turning to look over his shoulder to back out the driveway.

"He seems more attached to you than usual," commented Mercedes.

Kurt nodded.

"Maybe it is just a phase," offered Mercedes with a shrug as she leaned forward to turn on the radio.


	3. Chapter 3

**Title:** Man's Best Friend  
><strong>Pairings<strong>: Kurt/Blaine  
><strong>Rating<strong>: R  
><strong>Warnings:<strong> Pet!Blaine and all that entails  
><strong>Note<strong>: This story is a fill for a prompt at the Glee **Kink** Meme on livejournal.

* * *

><p><em>Chapter Three<br>_

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><p>Kurt and Mercedes spent the majority of the day at the mall. When evening hit, they met a few other friends from glee club at Breadstix for supper before heading to the cinema as a group. It had been late when they had left the movies and storm clouds were rolling in as the sun was setting. The sky was completely black with rainclouds and the low light of the coming night when Kurt arrived home after dropping Mercedes off at her house.<p>

The house was quiet. Carole had already gone to bed having an early shift in the morning and Finn was spending the night at Puck's. Burt was dozing in the living room in front of the ballgame with Blaine sitting on the floor at his feet. When Kurt came into the room, Blaine quickly stood.

"Hi, Blaine," whispered Kurt as Blaine approached him. He didn't want to disturb his dad who was probably tired from a long day at the shop.

Kurt carried his shopping bags upstairs to his room with Blaine following at his heels. The dark-haired, hazel-eyed boy dropped down on Kurt's bed to watch him put away his new purchases.

"I didn't think I would find so many things that I liked," spoke Kurt, even though the only other soul in the room was Blaine. "Mercedes, I hate to admit, was right about that store. They have a lot of really great items."

Picking up one of the brown paper bags, Kurt pulled a blue sweater from it and held it out for Blaine to see.

"This was such a good deal," said Kurt. "I still can't get over it! I got this sweater for 80% off, Blaine... EIGHTY PER CENT OFF!"

Blaine cocked his head to the side at Kurt's words, obviously having no idea what Kurt was going on about. Kurt laughed lightly to himself before turning back to his other bags. Just as Kurt finished closing his closet door, a loud clap of thunder boomed through the room. Blaine inhaled sharply in surprised causing Kurt to turn around. Blaine had wrapped his arms around himself in a defensive gesture, his eyes wide with fear, and his breath coming out a little ragged.

"You don't have to be afraid, Blaine," stated Kurt, softened by the look of fear on Blaine's face.

Kurt moved across the room and sat down on the edge of the bed.

"The thunder won't hurt you," offered Kurt with a small smile.

Another boom of thunder had Blaine whimpering, his knees drawn up under his chin and his body rocking back and forth. Kurt crawled onto the bed so that he was sitting next to Blaine.

"It's okay," soothed Kurt, putting a hand on the boy's shoulder.

Kurt's touch was invitation enough for Blaine and he quickly moved forward on his hands and knees, pressing his face into Kurt's chest in search of comfort and safety. Light flashed through the window and not even a second later a loud bang of thunder echoed through the house. It was so loud, Kurt was sure he could feel it rumbling right inside his chest. Blaine's whole body tensed at the noise and then he was pressing even closer to Kurt, letting out a soft whine that sounded like a sob as he nearly pushed Kurt right over.

"Oh, you big baby," Kurt laughed affectionately, stroking a hand through Blaine's hair.

Wanting to comfort the shaking boy, Kurt opened his arms to Blaine. Quickly, Blaine pressed further into Kurt's chest, attempting to fold himself up as tight as he could to fit snugly in Kurt's lap. Kurt ran his hands up and down Blaine's back to make him feel better. The loud noises of the rainstorm kept thundering through the house every few moments.

With Blaine pressed warmly against him, Kurt found himself nodding off to sleep and struggling to make himself wake each time. He wondered how long the storm would last because he didn't think he could stay awake much longer. It had been a long day and, thanks to Blaine, he hadn't gotten much sleep the night before. Finally, he decided he would break his rule and let the boy sleep in his room. There was no way Blaine was going to sleep all alone in Finn's room with the storm still raging outside, anyway.

Patting Blaine's shoulder lightly, Kurt pushed him out of his lap so he could get up. Blaine whimpered softly and moved back into his former position with his knees drawn up under his chin and his arms wrapped around himself. Kurt made sure to be quick as he grabbed a pair of his pajamas from his dresser and got changed. He then turned off the light and crawled into his bed. Blaine stopped rocking back and forth at the foot of the bed and looked across the bed at Kurt who was settling in to his pillows, the plush duvet pulled up to his neck.

"Yes, you can stay tonight," said Kurt with a sigh. "But if you tell ANYONE..."  
>Seeming to understand that he could stay, Blaine grinned ever so slightly and crawled up the bed. He pulled back the blankets and slid into the bed beside Kurt. Tensing when Blaine crawled into the bed with him, Kurt let out a shaky breath and laughed lightly.<p>

"You're just lucky we already put away the air mattress or there would be no way you'd be in my bed right now," he said, before rolling over so his back was to Blaine. "Now, go to sleep, I'm tired."

Another loud bang of thunder filled the room and Blaine was quick to throw his arms around Kurt's waist, pressing his face in between Kurt's shoulder blades. Kurt couldn't help the fact that the movement had caused a swarm of butterflies to flutter through his belly. He let out another shaky breath before drawing in a deep one.

"It's okay," whispered Kurt hoarsely, shutting his eyes. "You're safe. You understand me? You're safe."

Blaine inhaled deeply and nodded his head against Kurt's back causing Kurt's eyes to burst open in surprise. Did Blaine just nod in reply?

"Blaine?" asked Kurt, not sure what to even say.

The boy tightened his arms around Kurt's middle in response.

"Good night, Blaine," said Kurt softly.

It had to have just been a coincidence that Blaine's nod actually made sense as an answer to what Kurt had said. Blaine didn't understand words. Well, he understood his name and the names of his family members. He understood 'no' and a few other simple words. But there was no way he understood actual sentences.

Kurt tried not to think about it, he was too tired and was already in a strange enough position, with Blaine in his bed latched onto his back.

-

The next morning, birds were flitting back and forth in the branches of the tree just outside of Kurt's window, the sky with bright blue and the sun was shining optimistically in the newly washed sky.

Kurt's mind drifted back to consciousness as he slowly woke up. Everything was peaceful and he was so warm and comfortable that he didn't want to open his eyes and break the spell just yet. He sighed happily and shifted a little before letting his muscles go back to complete relaxation. That small shift, though, had caused him to become aware of his unusual position.

He was lying on his stomach, stretched out across his bed, but his head and torso were being pillowed by something that was definitely not one of his down-filled pillows. Kurt remained still a few moments longer, trying to discern what it was he was laying on before opening his eyes. The steady rise and fall of the 'pillow' was what finally gave it away.

Blaine.

He was lying on Blaine.

That realization led to a few others. One being that Blaine's arms were wrapped around Kurt's torso. Another being that one of Kurt's arms was wrapped around Blaine and really numb from both their weights lying on it. The third realization was that Blaine's morning wood was pressed against Kurt's thigh. And finally, the last was that Blaine was definitely not asleep.

Kurt inhaled sharply and sat up, pulling his sleeping arm out from under Blaine's back. The curly haired boy gazed up at Kurt with a peaceful, blank expression on his face. Kurt sat up on his knees and stared back at Blaine. They looked into each other's eyes for a few moments longer; the mood of the situation completely indiscernible.

Finally, Blaine broke the spell by simply smiling up at Kurt. Not knowing how to respond to that, Kurt simply got up from the bed and busied himself with getting dressed and putting on his facial moisturizer. Kurt could feel Blaine's eyes on him from where the boy was still lounging lazily in Kurt's bed. It wasn't as unsettling as Kurt expected it to be; Blaine's gaze wasn't leering, or smouldering, or the least bit disconcerting, it was just there.

When Kurt was finished, he sat back down on the bed next to Blaine. The sleepy boy rolled over to be closer to Kurt and looked up at him intently.

"You should really change," commented Kurt. "You're wearing the same things you were wearing yesterday and that's just not right. I can't believe I let you sleep in my bed in your day clothes."

Blaine didn't respond, but Kurt hadn't expected him to. Instead, Blaine pressed his face close to Kurt's hand and nuzzled at it with his nose. Blaine sighed happily when Kurt finally got the hint and lifted his hand to stroke it through the boy's unruly curls.

"You sure like to be petted," laughed Kurt. "That can't be normal."

As could be expected, Blaine was waiting for Kurt when he got home from school the next day. The house was empty besides him as Carole and Burt were still at work. Kurt couldn't help but wonder how lonely Blaine must be on days like that when he was left home alone for so long.

"Hi, Blaine," sighed Kurt when he heard the sound of Blaine jumping down from a kitchen stool and padding across the room to meet Kurt in the entry.

Kurt tried to discretely wipe a few tears from his eyes as Blaine approached him. It wasn't like Blaine would notice or care, but Kurt didn't want to show his weak moment to anymore. Blaine stood in the kitchen, waiting with anticipation for Kurt to take his shoes and jacket off and come the rest of the way into the house.

Picking up his bag, Kurt stepped into the kitchen from the porch and walked past Blaine to head for the stairs. Blaine padded lightly behind him, following him as he went up to his room.

"I bet you were bored to tears all day, weren't you?" asked Kurt, his voice still a little watery. He cleared his throat and tried again. "Today is Finn's turn to take you out, but he's at football practise, so you'll have to wait a little longer."

Kurt set his book bag down on his chair and then moved to look at himself in his mirror. He let out a small, sad sigh which caused Blaine to cock his head to the side and stare curiously at him. Feeling the boys' eyes on him, Kurt turned around to face him. Blaine smiled immediately.

"You're so pathetic, it hurts," laughed Kurt. "I can practically see your imaginary tail wagging."

Blaine's smile widened at Kurt's laugh. Kurt just shook his head at the boy and moved to his dresser to get out some new clothes.

"I'm going to have a shower," informed Kurt. "I got another slushy today. I cleaned up at school and changed into my back-up clothes, but I still feel gross and sticky."

Unbuttoning his shirt, Kurt pushed it back off his shoulders and let it flutter to the floor. The white undershirt he wore underneath was no longer white. It was the only article of clothing he was still wearing that bore the evidence of the bright blue slushy that had hit him square in the face after lunch period that day. Kurt pulled it off over his head and let it fall to the floor, too. He looked over at Blaine who was still staring intently at him.

"Uh," stammered Kurt. "I think I'll, uh, go finish this in the bathroom."

Kurt gathered his fresh clothes from where he had set them on his dresser and left the room to head to the bathroom. He grabbed a towel from the linen closet on the way.

Blaine was still perched on the end of Kurt's bed when Kurt returned to his room fifteen minutes later. The shower had cleaned away the sticky sensation, but it hadn't done anything helpful for Kurt's emotional state. Kurt let himself fall into a sitting position on the bed next to Blaine and let out a soft sigh.

"It isn't fair, Blaine," he said in a quiet voice. "I just want to finish this year in peace and then none of these idiots ever have to see me again. Is it so much to ask that they just leave me alone for one school year?"

Blaine moved to sit closer to Kurt. He leaned his head on Kurt's shoulder and let out a sigh.

"I thought this year was going to be better," continued Kurt, his voice wavering. "Dave Karofsky was supposed to graduate last year. Figures he wouldn't have the best grades. Now, I have a-whole-nother school year with him."

Kurt raised his head and looked up at the ceiling, willing his fresh tears not to fall. He shuddered involuntarily at the thought of the burly jock.

"He hasn't done anything, yet," explained Kurt. "They are watching him close after last year, but I can feel his eyes on me whenever we're in the same room. It's colder than those stupid slushies and I hate it, Blaine, I hate it!"

A small sob caught Kurt by surprise and he was quick to cover his face with his hands as a few more racked his body. Blaine pressed closer to Kurt, cuddling close to him. He waited until Kurt's sobs subsided, (they ended as abruptly as they had started), and then he pulled Kurt's hands away from his face.

Kurt looked at Blaine in surprise. Blaine looked up into Kurt's water filled eyes with a look of concern wrinkling his brow. The curly haired boy lifted a hand to Kurt's face and gently wiped at his tear tracks. Kurt smiled sadly at Blaine, leaning into the boy's hand.

-

Once Kurt was beginning to look himself again and not like he was going to burst out in tears once more, Blaine let out a puff of air and moved to lay his head in Kurt's lap. Kurt looked down at Blaine and cocked an eyebrow. Blaine's big, expressive eyes were asking and Kurt let out a soft laugh when he noticed Blaine pushing up his t-shirt.

"Oh, I see," laughed Kurt. "You're just in this for the belly rubs. I feel so used."

Kurt sighed and let his hand settle on the exposed skin of Blaine's abdomen. He was soft and warm and his muscles felt tight under Kurt's hand.

"Fine," said Kurt. "But just for a bit."

Blaine grinned triumphantly and shifted his shoulders to get more comfortable in Kurt's lap. Resting an elbow on his own thigh, Kurt propped his head up on his hand while stroking Blaine's stomach with his other. Blaine stared up at Kurt, studying his face while Kurt let his thoughts drift away like he often did when he obliged Blaine in belly rubs.  
>Kurt was somewhere else in his mind and barely noticed the change in Blaine's face. Normally, during belly rubs, Blaine would allow his eyes to roll back and would just enjoy the sensations. This time, however, Blaine spent the time staring affectionately at Kurt's face. After a little while, Blaine began to softly stroke his fingers over Kurt's unmoving arm while he enjoyed Kurt's ministrations.<p>

Soon, Blaine let out a soft sigh and twisted a little, shimmying his hips to get his pants down a few inches. Blaine stilled again only a moment later so Kurt didn't really pay attention to the movement. Until, that is, his hand bumped into something warm and slightly moist on his last down stroke.

"What the..."spoke Kurt, softly, as he was pulled from his thoughts.

He glanced down at Blaine's abdomen to see that Blaine's pants were at his thighs and Kurt had just involuntarily bumped the back of his hand into the boy's hard penis. Kurt's eyes grew wide and he sharply sucked in a breath of air. He froze with his hand resting low between Blaine's hips, not knowing how to respond. Kurt finally pulled his hand away when Blaine had the audacity to push his hips up, obviously hoping the movement would cause Kurt to slide his hand lower.

"No, Blaine," gasped Kurt.

Finally, Kurt managed to pull his eyes away from Blaine's dick and shake his head trying to find some semblance of sanity.

"What the hell?" he stammered, his emotions bouncing between utter shock, anger and possibly slight curiosity. Give him a break; it wasn't like he had been awarded many close-range encounters with other guys' dicks in his young life.

Blaine let out a needy whine and stared pleadingly up at Kurt.

"Seriously? Seriously, Blaine?" exclaimed Kurt, pushing the boy from his lap and scooting backward on the bed to put some space between them. "You really think I'm going to... UGH! You're such a... That's just wrong, okay?"

Blaine sat up awkwardly, his shirt still pushed up past his nipple line and his pants still pushed down his thighs. He was facing Kurt, his eyes were darkened, his pupils wider than normal, his dick curving up toward his stomach. Kurt involuntarily licked his lips at the sight.

"Put it back in your pants, Gosh!" exclaimed Kurt, doubly embarrassed when he realized his own dick was becoming interested. "Don't expect me to ever give you another belly rub. Augh! You're so... augh!"

Kurt pushed himself up from his bed and stormed out of his room, slamming the door behind him.


	4. Chapter 4

**Title:** Man's Best Friend  
><strong>Pairings<strong>: Kurt/Blaine  
><strong>Rating<strong>: R  
><strong>Warnings:<strong> Beware CASTRATION threat  
><strong>Note<strong>: This story is a fill for a prompt at the Glee **Kink** Meme on livejournal.

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><p><em>.<br>_

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><p>Kurt looked away from the TV when he heard Blaine coming down the stairs. He was relieved to see that Blaine's clothing was no longer in disarray. The curly-haired boy took a few steps into the living room and came to a stop. He looked timid in his stance and had a confused look on his face.<p>

"I'm sorry I yelled at you," spoke Kurt in a soft tone.

Blaine smiled ever so slightly and took a few tentative steps toward Kurt before stopping again. Kurt exhaled a sigh and patted the couch beside him. Grinning, Blaine quickly moved across the room toward Kurt. Instead of sitting beside Kurt on the couch, though, he sat down on the floor at Kurt's feet. Kurt's hand found its way to Blaine's curls almost immediately as if drawn by some magnetic force.

"It isn't your fault," said Kurt, his voice still the soft tone he had used moments earlier. "Like you know anything about what's appropriate and what is WILDLY not."

Running his fingers through Blaine's hair, Kurt chuckled lightly to himself at the thought. Replaying the events of the last half hour in his mind, he couldn't help but find it funny now that he wasn't actually in the situation.

"Poor guy," commented Kurt. "You're just a horny little creep, aren't you?"

That caused Kurt to laugh.

"I don't know why you like me," he snickered. "I've given you blue balls twice in less than a week."

Leaning back against the sofa, Kurt let out a loud burst of laughter, then. Tears were springing to his eyes as he continued to laugh. Perhaps it wasn't as funny as he was making it, but it was the only way he could think to cope with the almost traumatizing experience. This was just so messed up that there wasn't anything for him to do but laugh.

He was just coming down from his laughing fit when the front door opened and Carole stepped into the house. She called out a greeting before taking off her shoes and jacket to put in the entry closet.

"Hi Carole," greeted Kurt from the couch.

"Oh, hi, Hun," she said as she stepped into the living room. She gave him a peculiar look when she noticed how red in the face he was. "How was your day?"

"Alright, I guess," answered Kurt with a shrug.

"Burt and Finn should be home soon," informed Carole. "I'm just going to have a shower and then I'll come start supper. Would you like to help?"

"Sure," replied Kurt, giving her a small smile.

"Thanks, Hun," said Carole, returning his smile.

She stepped toward Kurt to press a quick kiss to his cheek. Blaine eyed Carole warily as she retreated from Kurt. The moment she had left the room, Blaine stood and crawled into Kurt's lap.

"What are you doing?" asked Kurt in surprise. "You were perfectly content on the floor just a moment ago."

Blaine glared at Kurt's face, not at Kurt, but at his face. Confused, Kurt raised an eyebrow and opened his mouth to say something more, but quickly closed it when Blaine reached up and rubbed his thumb over Kurt's cheek. Blaine glared at the red lipstick on his thumb before wiping it on his jeans. Carole must have left some of her bright red lipstick on his cheek when she had kissed him.

"You don't like lipstick?" asked Kurt with a little laugh.

Blaine stuck out his lower lip in a pout before lowering his head and pressing his face into Kurt's chest much like he had the night of the thunderstorm. This time, though, it felt different. He wasn't scared and seeking comfort, it was almost like he was... no, that's ridiculous. It was ridiculous when Mercedes had said it and it was ridiculous now; Blaine couldn't be _jealous._

It wasn't long before Carole was showered and dressed in her comfortable home clothes. When she walked through the living room to head into the kitchen, Kurt pushed Blaine from his lap and got up to follow. Kurt still couldn't help but wince every time he saw her wear a pair of acid-wash jeans. Even prolonged exposure to such fashion faux pas didn't seem to take the edge off of the horror he felt every time Carole wore her 80s/90s clothing.

Together, Carole and Kurt began getting the things they needed to make supper out from the cabinets and the pantry. Blaine sat down in one of the stools at the counter and quietly glowered at Carole and Kurt's interactions.

"Blaine, Sweetie, you look like you're in a bad mood," commented Carole a few minutes later. "Do you want a treat?"

Blaine let out a sigh of indignation and hopped down from the stool before walking stiffly out of the room. Kurt and Carole watched him go, Carole confused and Kurt perplexed. A simple kiss on the cheek from Carole and Blaine was beyond offended. Once dinner was in the oven and the kitchen cleaned up, Kurt left Carole to go find Blaine in hopes of bettering his mood.

The dark-haired boy was lying on Kurt's bed wrapped up in the plush duvet. His eyes were closed as if he was asleep, but Kurt could tell by the way Blaine's shoulders tightened when he entered the room that the boy wasn't actually sleeping.

Kurt walked across the room and sat down on the bed next to the blanketed ball of Blaine. He placed his hand on Blaine's side and waited for the boy to respond. Blaine exhaled a small sigh and opened his eyes.

"Why are you acting so weird, lately?" asked Kurt, finding his eyes drawn into Blaine's honey hazel ones.

Blaine shifted on the bed, freeing his arms from the blankets before wrapping them around Kurt's waist. Kurt didn't stop him.

"Carole's my stepmom," said Kurt, softly. "You don't have to be protective of me around her. You know that. Hell, she was the one who picked you out and begged to bring you home, you know."

Blaine's arms tightened around Kurt's middle. He pulled on Kurt until Kurt laid down on the bed next to him. A happy sigh escaped Blaine's throat, and he moved closer to Kurt, pressing into his chest. Kurt stroked his hand up and down Blaine's side for a few moments, enjoying the sensation of being cuddled up with another boy.

"So, I made that appointment with Dr. Hayes for next week," said Carole as she cut into her pork chop that night at supper. "But I have to work that day, so I was hoping you could take him in."

Kurt perked at the mention of Blaine's doctor.

"What... what's the appointment for?" asked Kurt, trying not to sound concerned.

"It's just a standard procedure they do at that age," replied Burt trying to push the question away.

"Actually, they usually do it sooner," spoke Carole, raising her fork to punctuate 'sooner'. "I don't know why it wasn't already done when we got him."

"What is it?" asked Kurt, feeling a little annoyed at being kept in the dark.

"Something I was hoping we wouldn't bring up in front of the boys," answered Burt from between clenched teeth as he gave Carole a reproachful glare.

"Oh, they're old enough to understand," replied Carole with a flip of her free hand.

"Understand what?" asked Finn, finally looking up from his plate. "Why does Blaine have to go to the doctor?"

Burt sighed in resignation and set his fork and knife down.

"This isn't really something to talk about around the dinner table," he said. "We're taking Blaine in to get... fixed."

"What?" exclaimed Kurt, dropping his fork to his plate.

"I don't get it," asked Finn in a stage whisper. "Is he broken?"

"Castrated, Finn," shrieked Kurt turning in his seat to stare incredulously at Finn. "Castrated!"

"Dude, Gross," commented Finn, his face contorting in disgust.

"He's not an animal, Dad," exclaimed Kurt, turning back to his father. "You can't just... that's just... that's so cruel!"

"It's pretty much standard practise, Hun," soothed Carole. "Though, they usually do it sooner," she mused to herself. "I wonder if it'll make for a longer recovery now that he's older."

"It's better for him that way, Kurt," explained Burt gently.

"He's not some animal," choked Kurt.

"You said that already, Hun," cooed Carole.

"Kurt, he's not... he's not like us," tried Burt. "He doesn't know... he doesn't have the intelligence to..."

"So, if I wasn't smart, You'd HAVE me CASTRATED, too?" snapped Kurt. "Finn, watch out, you fail any more history exams and you're gonna get 'fixed'."

Finn winced.

"Now, Kurt," spoke Burt, his voice raising an octave as he became more frustrated. "You know that isn't what this is. It's hard enough to be a hormonal teenager, but can you imagine being one with absolutely no prospect of... and no understanding of why you feel the way you do? He's going to get irritable and possibly even violent if we just leave him as is."

"That's ridiculous," seethed Kurt, standing up from the table. "You're just kidding yourself if you think that's a good enough excuse to do this to him. I can't believe you think this is okay!"

"Kurt," warned Burt. "Kurt, we're not finished. Kurt, don't you leave this table."

Kurt simply shook his head at his father, anger absolutely pouring off his body.

"I'm done," said Kurt. "I've lost my appetite."

With that, he began to determinedly walk out of the room. Blaine was hovering in the doorway, having been startled by the raised voices. Burt was quick to follow Kurt.

"Kurt, I understand that you're upset about this," started Burt, trying to keep his voice calm. "But, you have to understand that... Kurt... Kurt, listen to me!"

Burt grabbed Kurt by the arm and swung him around so he would face him. Kurt let out a yelp of surprise at his father's sudden grip and it was enough to spur Blaine into action. The short, curly-haired boy dashed into the room and pushed himself between Kurt and Burt. He pressed his hands into Burt's chest and shoved him backward. Burt stumbled backward in surprise, losing his balance and falling into the wall. Blaine glared angrily at him, still standing directly in front of Kurt.

"Burt," cried out Carole, quickly standing and running to his aid.

"I'm fine, I'm fine," spoke Burt, his voice irritated and a little shaky.

Carole helped Burt straighten and gather his bearings. When he was steady again, Burt looked across the room at Blaine and Kurt. Blaine glared daggers at him and straightened his stance so that he looked taller.

"This is what I'm talking about, Kurt," said Burt with a frown.

"He thought you were attacking me," replied Kurt, his voice trembling with shock. "He was just being protective."

"How much trouble am I in?" asked Kurt, stepping into Finn's bedroom late that evening.

"I dunno, man," replied Finn, frowning.

Kurt grimaced when he saw Blaine lying shirtless across Finn's bed with his head in Finn's lap while. Finn wasn't really paying Blaine any attention, he had a movie going on his laptop and was just idly stroking Blaine's belly as he watched it. The hot knot of jealousy twisting in Kurt's gut at the scene made absolutely no sense, so Kurt tried to force it down.

"You, uh," stammered Kurt in question. "You give him belly rubs a lot?"

Finn looked away from the monitor to look at Kurt.

"Oh, yeah, I guess," answered Finn with a shrug. "He practically begs for them."

"Don't you think that's kind of, I don't know, weird?" asked Kurt, moving to sit on the bed by Blaine's feet.

Blaine struggled to sit up when Kurt sat next to him. As Blaine moved, Kurt snuck a glance at his crotch to see if there was any evidence of an erection. There was none. Perhaps Finn hadn't been stroking him long. Blaine quickly resituated himself so he was sitting next to Kurt and rested his chin on Kurt's shoulder.

"What do you mean?" asked Finn.

"You would never want to put your hands on Puck or Sam like that," explained Kurt with a quick shrug of his shoulders, trying to come off as unbothered.

"I guess, but it's not like he's a..." Finn let his sentence die without finishing it.

"A what, Finn? A person?" snapped Kurt in response.

"It's just, he's more dog-like than he is guy-like," replied Finn with a wince. He already could tell he was saying the wrong thing to get out of the inevitable argument, but it was too late, anyway.

"No," objected Kurt, giving Finn a heavy look as he began to lose his cool. "No, he's definitely more guy-like than dog-like. Look at him, Finn... you take his collar off and walk him down the street and people are gonna treat him like anyone else. And you're sitting here stroking him like... like he's your lover."

"Wow," exclaimed Finn, rising to stand. "What crawled up your butt?"

Kurt could feel Blaine's entire frame tense as Finn loomed over them, glaring angrily down at Kurt.

"Finn, careful," warned Kurt, trying to keep an even tone.

"You want me to be careful?" hollered Finn, his voice rising angrily. "You're the one who is freaking out at everyone over a PET."

Blaine rose to his feet.

"A _human_ pet," retorted Kurt, quietly.

Kurt reached out to gently take hold of Blaine's wrist, hoping it would be enough to stop Blaine from whatever it was he was about to do. Finn didn't seem to be paying any attention to Blaine's reactions to their argument.

"You need to grow up, Kurt," growled Finn as he took a step closer to Kurt and poked him sharply in the chest with his finger.

A surprisingly animal-like growl vibrated from Blaine in that moment, which finally got Finn's attention. Finn looked into Blaine's angry eyes. The ferocity there caused him to take a few steps backward.

"Kurt," he said nervously. "I think you should take Blaine out of here."

Agreeing, Kurt quickly rose to his feet and placed his hand on Blaine's shoulder. The boy winced at the sudden contact, the muscles in his body tensed as if he were about to turn and fight, but he quickly relaxed when he realized it was Kurt who was touching him.

"C'mon Blaine," said Kurt, softly. "Let's go."

"I love my dad and I've been so worried about him ever since he had that heart attack, but I really can't feel bad about Blaine pushing him like that," said Kurt, feeling guilty.

Mercedes nodded from across the table they were eating their lunch. The fight with his dad the night before was still fresh in Kurt's mind. He hadn't gotten any sleep that night, being too upset to fall asleep. Blaine had been too worked up about Finn to want to sleep in his room that night, so he slept at the foot of Kurt's bed with a light blanket draped over his shoulders.

In the course of one day, Blaine had become angry with all three of Kurt's family members. Kurt sure hoped Blaine would move past it quickly, because alienating himself from the family was not going to help his chances with the whole castrating issue.

"It was sweet that he was trying to protect you," offered Mercedes, pulling Kurt from his thoughts.

"Even if he wasn't, though, I can't blame him for being mad at Dad," Kurt stopped mid-sentence and paused for a moment, letting out a sad sigh. He looked up into his best friend's chocolate brown eyes and frowned. "Mercedes, am I being ridiculous?"

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"With the whole..." Kurt made a vague gesture as he spoke. "...thing."

"Kurt," spoke Mercedes, looking him directly in the eyes. "Just because something is considered '_sociably acceptable_', doesn't mean it's right and it definitely doesn't mean you have to be okay with it."

"Thanks 'Cedes," replied Kurt, smiling brightly.

"So, what are you going to do about it?" asked Mercedes before popping a tater tot into her mouth.

"I don't know," spoke Kurt in a frustrated exhale. "Perhaps if I could prove to them that he is more intelligent than we initially thought... I just don't see what that has to do with him keeping his balls."

"Eloquent," commented Quinn flashing her trademark sinister grin as she sat down in the chair next to Kurt. "What are we talking about?"

"Blaine," answered Mercedes without hesitation, even though Kurt was shooting her a cease-and-desist glare.

"Blaine?" repeated Quinn in confusion.

"He's their pet boy," explained Mercedes. "Kurt's parents are taking him in next week to get 'fixed' and..."

"And Kurt's not willing to lose his little fuck toy, got it," laughed Quinn.

"Eloquent," echoed Kurt, giving her an icy glare.

"I'm teasing, Kurt," deadpanned Quinn, rolling her eyes.

"I just think it's cruel," said Kurt. "Their reason for it is that he's not intelligent enough to... I don't even know what their reasoning is, really. Dad said this whole bullshit thing about it being better for Blaine not to have to deal with his 'urges' when he has absolutely no prospects."

"Wow," exclaimed Quinn. "You really are upset about this."

"Huh?" breathed Kurt, looking at her in confusion.

"You said 'balls' and 'bullshit' in a matter of minutes," explained Quinn with a small laugh. "You never curse."

"Yeah, well, this whole thing is just so stupid," grumbled Kurt, his cheeks pinking.

"I get it," nodded Quinn. "Besides, I'm sure he's smart enough to figure out how to jerk off."

"Or find a way to get other people to do that for him," added Mercedes, wiggling her eyebrows at Kurt.

Kurt turned beet red. He knew he shouldn't have told her about the belly rub fiasco, but it had been driving him crazy and he had to tell someone. Mercedes had seemed like the best choice but now he wasn't quite so sure. He gave her a withering look but chose to ignore her comment in hopes of Quinn not questioning it.

Kurt and Finn had stayed later after school that day for glee practise. When they pulled up in the driveway in Kurt's Navigator, Kurt let out a soft groan at the sight of his dad's pickup. Blaine was waiting for them in the doorway, his eyes dancing with excitement at seeing them arrive back home. Despite Kurt's lasting bad mood from the night before, he couldn't help but smile at the sight of Blaine.

"Hey boys," called Burt from the living room when they came inside.

"Hi Burt," answered Finn, kicking off his shoes and dropping his bag. "Oooh, football, who's playing?"

"Dophins against the Patriots," answered Burt. "Hey, Kurt."

"Dad," responded Kurt coldly as he made his way to the stairs, Blaine instantly at his heels.

Kurt set his book bag down on his desk and let out a sigh. He wasn't sure how he was going to get through an evening with his father; he was still upset with him, but also feeling a little guilty for how they had fought.

Blaine flopped down on Kurt's bed. The curly haired boy kept his eyes trained on Kurt as he paced the length of his room. Finally, Kurt stopped moving and looked down at Blaine. The moment their eyes locked, Blaine sat up in anticipation.

"What are we going to do, Blaine?" asked Kurt before moving to drop down on the bed beside him.

Instantly, Blaine was moving to lie on his back with his head and shoulders in Kurt's lap.

"Oh no," laughed Kurt. "No, no, no. You've lost your belly rub privileges with me. Just no, Blaine."

Blaine made a grumbling noise but sat up and moved so he was sitting next to Kurt, so close that their shoulders were touching.

"You complain now, but you have no idea," spoke Kurt. "You have no idea what they are going to do to you next week."

Letting out a soft sigh, Blaine leaned his head against Kurt's. After a moment he turned his face so that he could nuzzle his nose against Kurt's ear. Kurt inhaled sharply at the tickly sensation, feeling Blaine's warm breath on his neck. Something in Kurt's reaction must have come off as an invitation because Blaine pressed his torso closer to Kurt.

"_Blaine_," hissed Kurt just above a whisper.

He needed the dark haired boy to stop because his eyes were rolling back in his head and his breathing was speeding up and that just shouldn't be something happening because of his '_pet_'. But instead, Kurt somehow found himself lying on his back on his bed with Blaine crawling on top of him, still pressing his face into Kurt's neck and nuzzling against any exposed skin he could find.

Kurt groaned when he felt their hard cocks press together as Blaine lowered his weight over Kurt's body. The layers of clothing between them didn't stop the rush of sensations that flooded Kurt's groin and rose up through his whole body as Blaine began to rut against him. Blaine pressed his face to the side of Kurt's face and groaned right along with Kurt.

The proximity of Blaine's face and the sensations he was creating made Kurt's brain shut right down and caused his body to react only on instinct. Kurt moaned softly and grabbed Blaine's face in his hands before crashing their lips together. Blaine stopped moving altogether when their lips met. After a few milliseconds, the hazel-eyed boy caught on and began to move his lips against Kurt's. He groaned happily into the kiss and began moving his hips again.

When they broke apart for deep breaths of air, Kurt was suddenly very aware of what was going on. Suddenly embarrassed and ashamed, he pushed Blaine off and sat up, taking in deep lungfuls of air. Blaine sat back on his heels and looked at Kurt with an expression of complete confusion mixed with unmistakable desire.  
>He was breathing heavily too, and Kurt was made very aware of how absolutely gorgeous the boy looked with his curly hair all mussed, his clothes wrinkled, his pupils blown, and his lips swollen and dark.<p>

Kurt growled in frustration, sounding more animal than human. Why couldn't he just be normal and have a boyfriend he could do this with instead of having some random, confusing 'incident' with the household pet? He had just been fooling around with Blaine! Seriously, how completely messed up was he?

Kurt closed his eyes while he struggled to regulate his breathing. He sat back against his headboard and exhaled a long shaky breath before finally opening his eyes and meeting Blaine's gaze which, of course, was still trained on him. Blaine was kneeling on the bed, his chest rising and falling heavily, his face wearing an indiscernible expression. When their eyes met, Blaine moved forward a few inches and reached for Kurt.

"No," whispered Kurt, shaking his head.

Blaine frowned sadly. He closed his eyes for a long moment, bowing his head and exhaling softly. He moved his mouth and lips in an awkward way like he was trying to figure out how to hold them. Finally, he opened his eyes to look into Kurt's cool grey ones.

"K... k... k..." tried Blaine, his eyes earnestly wide but his eyebrows drawn in concentration.

Realizing Blaine was attempting to say his name, Kurt gasped and leaned forward.

"Kurt," he said just above a whisper. "You're trying to say Kurt."

Sighing, Blaine looked down at where he had clasped his hands in his lap. He looked frustrated and defeated. Kurt wondered how much went on in the boy's mind. When Blaine looked back up, there was a determination in his eyes that Kurt had never seen there before.

Blaine crawled across the bed to close the distance between the two of them. Curious, Kurt sat up in anticipation of whatever it was Blaine was about to do. Once next to him, Blaine reached up with his hand and gently touched Kurt's face. It was a decidedly _human_ gesture, realized Kurt, not something that Blaine often did. Then Blaine was leaning in and pressing his lips softly to Kurt's.

Eyes fluttering shut and breath caught in his throat, Kurt couldn't help but lean forward, pressing his lips more firmly against Blaine's. It was obvious that Blaine had absolutely no idea what he was doing, but Kurt was suddenly willing and eager to teach him the _new trick_.

Kurt moved his lips against Blaine's soft ones, tilting his head for a better angle. Blaine sighed happily. When Kurt broke the kiss, he didn't pull away from Blaine; instead he looked into Blaine's warm eyes. They seemed so deep and so full of emotion.

"Kiss," whispered Kurt. "That was a kiss. We were kissing."

Blaine nodded and then leaned forward to touch their lips together again. Sliding his hands over Blaine's face, Kurt moved forward to be closer to him. He sucked lightly on Blaine's lower lip before running his tongue across the seam of Blaine's mouth. Instinctively, Blaine parted his lips giving Kurt entrance. A soft moan built at the back of Blaine's throat as Kurt's tongue explored his mouth.

Leaning backward, Blaine pulled Kurt back with him as he let himself fall to the bed. Kurt was on top of him, their bodies pressed together. Kurt could feel his pulse speeding up to somewhere beyond racing. He tried not to thin, because this all felt so right even if his head was telling him it was so very wrong. Blaine brought his arms up and encircled Kurt's waist, squeezing him tightly as they continued to kiss.

Suddenly, though, the spell was broken by the sound of the front door opening and closing indicating that Carole had just gotten home from work. Kurt pulled away from Blaine causing him to elicit a pathetic whine.

"Oh my gosh," gasped Kurt. "We can't be doing this! Especially not when everyone else is home. Anyone could just come in here. What was I thinking? What am I thinking?"

Blaine sat up, frowning at Kurt.

"Let's just... Let's go for a walk," said Kurt after a pause to collect his thoughts. "I'm supposed to be exercising you today, so, yeah, let's go for a walk. I need to wrap my head around what just happened. Fresh air... fresh air will help."


	5. Chapter 5

**Title:** Man's Best Friend  
><strong>Pairings<strong>: Kurt/Blaine  
><strong>Rating<strong>: R  
><strong>Warnings:<strong> Beware CASTRATION threat  
><strong>Note<strong>: This story is a fill for a prompt at the Glee **Kink** Meme on livejournal.

* * *

><p><em>.<br>_

* * *

><p>Kurt slid off the bed and walked on shaky legs toward his bedroom door. He turned around when he reached it, looking back at Blaine who was still sitting on the bed.<p>

"Are you coming?" asked Kurt.

With a soft sigh, Blaine got off the bed. Kurt nodded to himself and opened the bedroom door. He and Blaine jogged down the stairs and to the entry.

"Kurt," came Burt's voice from the living room. "We need to talk, buddy."

Wincing, Kurt came to a stop. His cheeks flushed when he realized the connection between what he and Blaine were just doing in his bedroom and what he was arguing with his father against having done to Blaine. Quinn's teasing words from earlier that day came back to him and Kurt grimaced.

"I'm taking Blaine for a walk," replied Kurt hurriedly, trying to keep his voice steady.

"Okay," replied Burt. "We'll talk when you get back."

Kurt quickly moved forward at his dad's words, slipping on his shoes and grabbing Blaine's to hand to him. Once they were ready, Kurt opened the front door and they stepped outside.

"No running off," warned Kurt. "I feel weird about using a leash, but if you make it necessary..."

Kurt left the threat open-ended as he and Blaine walked down the front steps. Blaine had quickly recovered from his disappointment over being 'cock-blocked' and was now looking around, his eyes alight with excitement. He whipped his head back and forth as he attempted to follow the movements of the birds that were flitting back and forth between the trees.

"You want to go to the park?" asked Kurt, laughing lightly.

Blaine stilled and looked at Kurt.

Narrowing his eyes, Kurt asked again, "Park?"

Slowly, Blaine nodded his head.

"How much of what I say DO you understand?" asked Kurt, reaching to take Blaine by the hand.

Surprised by Kurt's touch, Blaine allowed their hands to slip together. He looked down at their clasped hands curiously and then back up at Kurt's face. Kurt simply smiled at him. They walked out to the sidewalk and then followed it down the block toward the playground at the end of the street.

Blaine's eyes never stopped moving as they walked. He was taking everything in as if he hadn't been outside in years. He would turn his head quickly to follow the trail of a bird as it flew across his vision, or tense in excitement when he heard a neighbour's dog bark. Even with his attention bouncing back and forth between everything he saw, it was never far from Kurt. He kept glancing over at Kurt as they walked, hand in hand, down the sidewalk. Kurt smiled, feeling his cheeks warm every time he noticed Blaine's eyes on him.

When they reached the park, Blaine's eyes lit even more at the sight of the children playing at the playground there. Kurt smiled softly at Blaine's excitement. He slid his hand out from Blaine's and gestured for Blaine to go play. In a flash, Blaine was running across the grass toward the sandy pit where the playground equipment stood. Some of the children there recognized him and shouted his name as he approached. A little girl with long red hair grabbed on to his leg and grinned up at him excitedly.

"Blaine! Blaine! Blaine!" she squealed.

Blaine reached down and picked her up as if she weighed nothing at all. He swung her around so she was on his back and then trotted around the playground giving her a piggy back ride as she giggled uncontrollably.

Kurt moved to sit down on a nearby bench as he watched Blaine enthusiastically play with the children. They started playing a game similar to Tag, except it was more 'Chase Blaine' than actual Tag. Blaine's face was alight with joy as he ran around the playground with five or six little children chasing after him.

After a while, Kurt checked his watch to see that it was getting closer to supper. He stood up from the bench and walked toward the sand pit, looking around for Blaine. He really didn't want to go home; he knew that he had an uncomfortable talk with his father waiting for him there.

"Blaine!" called out Kurt.

Moments later Blaine came jogging to his side. His cheeks were pinked and his hair completely mussed, but he was grinning widely. Kurt had to suppress his sudden urge to run his fingers across Blaine's cheek and along his jaw.

"Time to go home," Kurt informed him.

-

"What is this really about, Dad?" asked Kurt, now that he was seated across the kitchen table from his father.

"I was going to ask you the same thing," replied Burt, chuckling humourlessly.

"Humour me," demanded Kurt, voice soft and face solemn.

Burt let out a soft sigh and scratched at the thinning hair on the side of his head. This wasn't what the man had planned when he told his son they needed to have a talk.

"Dad," spoke Kurt again after a moment of silence. "You're a good man and I'm proud to have you for a father. I just... this seems so out of character for you. The reasons you gave yesterday for wanting to... to have this done to Blaine just don't seem good enough considering."

They stared across the table at each other for a few beats before Burt sighed again and leaned forward in his chair. He nodded slightly and clasped his big, callused hands together on the table top.

"You and Finn are going to be graduating and moving away in just under a year," began Burt, looking Kurt in the eye. "When you leave, it is going to be just Carole and me, plus Blaine. That boy is growing up just like you and Finn, and soon he is going to be a man; a man who just lies around our house all day and who is going to be bored out of his skull."

Burt stopped and let out another sigh. All the sighing was making Kurt wonder if the man would pass out just from the amount of audible exhales he was breathing in such a short time.

"I kind of wish we hadn't gotten him," said Burt.

"You never did want a human pet," replied Kurt with a nod.

"Neither did you," reminded Burt with a slight smile.

"It just doesn't seem right to treat humans like animals, no matter their IQ," answered Kurt with a shrug.

"You know, it isn't just about how smart they are, right Kurt?" spoke Burt, frowning. "Their brains are set up differently than ours. I ain't no scientist or anything, but from what I hear, they are actually missing things up there that we have and other things aren't developed just right. It isn't just that we make everyone get an IQ test and those who are under a certain level get used as pets and slaves, they are genetically and hereditarily different than humans."

"They are still human, though, Dad," argued Kurt, voice still soft. "They still feel and think and want. They aren't like dogs, they feel things the way we do... at least, Blaine does."

"In any case," continued Burt. "I don't feel comfortable with a man alone in the house with my wife for hours on end while I'm at work. This is for Carole's safety, Kurt. I told her I wanted to take him back to the home once you kids had moved out but she was worried about where he'd go if they readopted him out at his age. So, this was the best alternative I could think of."

"Okay," replied Kurt with a nod. "Now, that, I can understand. But Dad, I really don't think that is going to be a problem with Blaine."

"Just like no one expected the neighbour's sweet dog to bite until he attacked the five year old boy playing at the playground," grumbled Burt under his breath.

Kurt groaned in exasperation, pressing his fingers to his temples.

"When will you all get it through your heads that Blaine... is not... a dog!" he asked his voice raising.

"So," replied Burt, lifting an eyebrow. "What's your solution?"

Sitting up straighter, Kurt thought for a moment before looking back at his father and lifting his chin slightly.

"Take him with you to work," he said simply.

"Kurt," started Burt, his expression telling him that he thought it was a ridiculous idea. "I can't be babysitting while I'm at work; I have a business to run."

"No, I mean, now," replied Kurt. "Start taking him to work a few times a week. See if there are things you can teach him to do. Perhaps he can be of help to you at work. He can learn stuff, Dad."

"I don't know; what if he messes something up?" asked Burt.

"What if some 'idiot teenager' you hire to help after school messes things up?" asked Kurt, excited to see that his father was actually thinking about it. "You have had to train so many new people over the years and a lot of them screw up big time. At least with Blaine, you won't be paying him. You could even just have him sweep the shop and clean up if there's nothing else he can do for you."

"Okay," spoke Burt, after a few moments of silence. "Say we cancel his appointment with the doctor and we try him out at the shop for a few weeks. What do we do with him if that doesn't work out? Do you have a plan B? Or can I go back to my plan?"

Kurt bit his lip. He really didn't know if Blaine would be able to help in the shop well enough to win his father's approval and he definitely didn't want to barter his manhood over it. Just then, Blaine came padding into the room, barefoot like usual – he seemed to have claustrophobic feet or something. The curly haired boy looked between Burt and Kurt sitting at the table, obviously curious of the unusual scene. He moved across the room and sat down on the floor at Kurt's side and leaned his head against Kurt's thigh. It gave Kurt an idea.

"What if... what if I took him with me when I moved away?" asked Kurt, suddenly excited at the idea but trying not to show it.

"What?" exclaimed Burt in shock.

"You have been complaining ever since I said I wanted to go to school in New York that it was too dangerous of a city," responded Kurt, piecing the idea together as he spoke. "I know Blaine isn't big or incredibly intimidating or anything, but you saw how protective he is of me. It would be safer for me to have another person around at home and when I run errands. Obviously, I can't take him to class with me, but..."

"Kurt, you've been worried about the cost of living there and now you want to try to feed two hungry teenage boys on your tight budget?" questioned Burt, shaking his head in disbelief.

Kurt bit his lip, he hadn't thought of that. He looked down at Blaine for a moment, trying to gather his thoughts.

"Well," said Kurt. "When you and Carole come home from your first grocery shopping trip after getting rid of three 'hungry teenage boys', you'll be so delighted by the drop in your costs that you might feel inclined to send me a few dollars for groceries."

Burt chuckled lightly to himself, shaking his head.

"We'll give the auto shop idea a try," offered Burt, still laughing lightly at Kurt. "We'll decide what's what after that, okay?"

"Thanks, Dad," replied Kurt, he couldn't help but keep the big grin from his face.

Kurt felt decidedly better about his relationship with his dad as well as Blaine's future. Still, dinner that evening felt awkward and conversation was forced. When they had finished the meal, Kurt was quick to retreat to his bedroom to work on homework. He was surprised when Blaine didn't appear in his doorway soon after he had settled down at his desk with his text book open. Finn probably had the boy occupied. Instead of feeling disappointed, Kurt forced himself to be happy that it meant he had time to work on his homework uninterrupted.

A few hours went by and Kurt found himself playing one of those stupid game applications on facebook, homework finished and set aside. Still, Blaine left him alone. Checking the time at the bottom of his monitor, Kurt decided it was late enough that he could go to bed. Closing out of facebook, Kurt turned off his monitor and stood up. He placed his text books back in his bag so they'd be ready for school the next day.

He poked his head out into the hallway and listened to try to get an idea of the goings on in the house. It sounded like Finn and Burt were downstairs in the living room watching some movie or show that involved a lot of explosions. Kurt frowned, wondering where Blaine was. He shrugged to himself and moved back into his room, making sure to leave his bedroom door open just a crack. Normally, he closed it tight when he went to bed as an indication that he was not to be disturbed but he was half hoping Blaine would still show up that night, not that he'd admit it to anyone.

Kurt changed into his pyjamas, flicked off his bedroom light and crawled into the comfort of his bed. He cuddled up in the blankets and closed his eyes, waiting for sleep to find him. The moon was bright and shining in through his bedroom window. He rolled over in his bed and tucked his face into his pillows.

He was tired but sleep didn't want to come easily to him that night. He couldn't seem to shut off his brain. He thought about everything that was going on with Blaine recently, he wondered how Blaine would do at his dad's auto shop, and then he dared to imagine what it would be like if he took Blaine with him to New York. He couldn't deny that the thought made him feel better. He wouldn't admit to anyone that he was absolutely terrified of moving to New York by himself next summer, but with every day that moved him closer to graduation he felt a little more nervous about starting out on his own. The idea of having Blaine there with him with his sweet face and bright hazel eyes, well, for some reason it just made everything seem a lot easier.

It was after midnight and Kurt still hadn't fallen asleep when he heard his door quietly creak open and bare feet softly pad into the room. Closing his eyes, Kurt pretended to be asleep. The footsteps stopped beside his bed and everything went back to silence. Seconds felt like hours as Kurt fought desperately the urge to open his eyes.

Finally, he felt the bed dip near his shoulder as if someone were leaning on it. A moment later he felt warm breath ghost over his face before lips softly touched his own. He couldn't help it, Kurt's eyes shot open and he sharply breathed in a gulp of air. Blaine stepped back, startled.

"Blaine," breathed Kurt, shifting in his bed to get a better view of the curly-haired boy.

He could only see Blaine's silhouette in the dark, but something in his stance made him look like he felt guilty for what he had just done. Kurt smiled softly and raised a hand toward Blaine. The boy stepped forward and took it in his own.

"C'mere," Kurt whispered, pulling on Blaine's hand.

Blaine allowed Kurt to tug him onto the bed. He crawled under the blankets and cuddled up to Kurt. Smiling softly, Kurt wrapped his arms around Blaine and snuggled up close to the warm boy. With Blaine in his arms, Kurt finally was able to slowly drift to sleep, a blissful smile pulling at the corners of his mouth.

Kurt woke the next morning with a start. His alarm clock was blaring and it must have been for quite some time considering the red numbers on the clocks display. He would have flung the blankets aside and jumped out of bed had he not been tangled up with another boy.

Though his heart was beating at the sudden awakening and the jolt he got at the knowledge that he was going to be late for school, Kurt couldn't help but smile and let out a soft sigh. There were so many things wrong with this situation but right then while they lay in his bed out of sight from the rest of the world; it just felt so right to wake up holding Blaine in his arms. Blaine must have been awake because at Kurt's sigh, he twisted around in his arms so they would be face to face. Blaine's eyes are sparkling and so alive.

"G'morning," whispered Kurt groggily.

Blaine smiled at him and pressed his face into his neck, nuzzling him affectionately. Kurt exhaled shakily, unsure as to why Blaine's touch suddenly had such a huge effect on him. Touching the side of Blaine's face softly, Kurt returned his smile before disentangling himself from the curly-haired boy. He slowly climbed out of bed and turned the alarm clock off.

"I'm going to be late for school," he said softly, turning to look back at Blaine. "But today it is only two more days until the weekend and we can spend the whole weekend together, okay?"

Kurt turned and stepped toward his closet to find something to wear that day. He didn't have the luxury of spending much time thinking out a perfect outfit, so, he quickly grabbed one of his favourite long sleeved button-ups and turned to his dresser to pull out a pair of dark wash jeans. It would do.

"You know," said Kurt, pulling his pyjama shirt off and putting on his shirt. "You're cooped up in this house way too much. Maybe after school I'll pick you up and we can go somewhere. What do you think?"

Blaine was still cuddled up in Kurt's bed, eyes glued to Kurt as he moved around his room getting ready for school. Kurt didn't notice how Blaine shifted excitedly when he revealed never before seen skin.  
>"It'll be good for you to get out," continued Kurt, idly, as he dropped his pyjama pants to the floor and bent over to begin wrestling his snug jeans up his legs. There was a rustling in the bed behind him, but he continued. "If you're going to start working for Dad next week, you'll need to get used to being in new sur..."<p>

Kurt stopped talking and instead let out an undignified squeak when suddenly Blaine's arms were snaking around his lower torso. The sweet-faced, curly-haired boy grabbed Kurt's ass tightly and growled in his ear as he pressed his body flush with Kurt's.

"Blaine, what are you..." exclaimed Kurt breathlessly.

The boy backed him up. It was an awkward few steps, with Kurt's jeans at his knees, but soon he felt his back hit the wall and as soon as he did, Blaine's mouth was crashing into his. Kurt didn't have a chance to breathe as Blaine shoved his tongue into his mouth, rolling his hips against Kurt's. Finally, Kurt was able to take a breath when Blaine moved to his jaw and then down his neck, nipping and sucking and licking as he went. Blaine seemed to be working out all his sexual frustration at once; the level of raw passion in his movements was beyond primal. Kurt groaned; it was all he could do but hang onto the shorter boy for dear life.

But it wasn't long before Blaine's hips were stuttering out of the fast, jarring rhythm he had been using. He dropped his head to Kurt's shoulder and came in his pants, moaning and breathing heavily. Now that Blaine was finished, Kurt was beginning to get over the shock of being jumped while getting dressed. Ignoring the straining hard on in his own boxers, Kurt pushed Blaine off him and gave him an angry glare.

"You can't just do things like that, Blaine," he bellowed. "That is something you definitely have to ask about first."

Boneless from his orgasm, Blaine stumbled to the floor after Kurt's push.

"Oh Gaga, my pet just humped me until he came," Kurt began to sob. "How do these things even happen? This cannot be my life!"

Kurt quickly reached down to pull up his jeans. He struggled a little being as they were tight, but once he had them up, he fled the room, slamming the door behind him.


	6. Chapter 6

**Title:** Man's Best Friend  
><strong>Pairings<strong>: Kurt/Blaine  
><strong>Rating<strong>: R  
><strong>Warnings:<strong> Pet!Blaine and all that entails  
><strong>Note<strong>: This story is a fill for a prompt at the Glee **Kink** Meme on livejournal.

* * *

><p><em>.<br>_

* * *

><p>Kurt stumbled into the bathroom and hastily shut the door behind him. Bracing his hands on either side of the sink, he leaned forward letting his head drop down and allowed himself to shake with silent sobs for a few moments. Finally, he looked up and stared at his reflection in the mirror. He tried to push the images of Blaine's blown pupils and hungry expression from his mind. He was upset, he felt dirty and used, but the worst part of the whole thing was the fact that he really, really wanted to go back to his room and throw the sexy boy down onto his bed and ravish him.<p>

Ravish.

What a peculiar word.

He closed his eyes and took a few deep, calming breaths in through his nose and out through his mouth. He could hear Finn and Carole downstairs in the kitchen. His dad had probably already left for work. Kurt breathed in and out a few more times before opening his eyes. When he finally did open them, he felt a little calmer. Turning on the tap, he splashed cold water on his face and then grabbed the plush green towel beside the sink to pat his face dry.

Taking in a long, deep breath, Kurt let it out in a low exhale before grabbing his comb and hair spray and getting to work on his hair. He had to leave in ten minutes if he was going to make it to school in time for his first class.

Once he was satisfied with his hair, Kurt left the bathroom and headed back to his bedroom. He slowly opened his door hoping that Blaine had left, but his eyes quickly found the boy still sitting on the floor where he had fallen when Kurt had pushed him. Kurt winced at his posture. He looked absolutely miserable. His knees were drawn up to his chest and he was holding his head in his hands.

"Blaine," spoke Kurt in a solemn tone.

The boy looked up and Kurt had to stop himself from gasping when he saw the tears in his honey hazel eyes. He looked so sweet and vulnerable and... beautiful. Kurt bit his lip nervously but quickly lifted his chin and frowned down his nose at the boy.

"You need to clean up," he said forgetting his need to leave right away to get to school. "You're probably all gross and sticky from... before. Go get some fresh clothes from yours and Finn's room and meet me at the bathroom."

Blaine just looked at him dumbly.

"Go get some clean clothes," said Kurt a little more forcibly. "You understand, don't you?"

Kurt chewed on his bottom lip anxiously. Had he been making it up in his head before? Didn't Blaine understand simple things like this?

"Come Blaine," said Kurt, reverting back to the way the people at the home had spoken to Blaine.

With a soft sigh Blaine stood and approached Kurt. His moist eyes were downcast, not daring to look Kurt in the face. Kurt turned and led Blaine to Finn's room so he could gather some clean clothes. He handed the pile of folded clothes to Blaine and then led him back into the hallway toward the bathroom, coming to terms with the fact that he was going to miss his first class that day. But he knew that he couldn't leave Blaine to deal with this by himself and he _definitely_ couldn't have Carole find him with dried cum in his pants.

He turned on the water in the shower and waited for it to get to a comfortably warm temperature before leaving Blaine to shower. Remembering he forgot to get him a towel, he quickly dashed to the hall linen closet and grabbed one. When he came back into the bathroom, Blaine had already stripped down to nothing and was about to get into the shower. Kurt felt his face turn red at the sight.

"I just... brought you a towel," said Kurt attempting to avert his eyes but having a hard time looking away from the trim, tan boy standing naked before him.

Blaine didn't seem the least bit offended by Kurt's presence. _Must be nice to have no shame_, thought Kurt to himself before setting the folded towel down on the counter and promptly leaving the bathroom. He stepped back into the hallway and closed the bathroom door behind him. Leaning back against the door, he let out a long, frustrated sigh. This was _not_ the most ideal way to start his day.

"So where were you this morning?" asked Finn as he and Kurt walked through the parking lot after school. "I had to get mom to drive me to school. She was gonna go check on you before we left but she heard the shower going and figured you had just slept in."

"Yeah," stuttered Kurt thanking every deity imaginable that Carole had not come upstairs looking for him that morning. "She was right; I slept in."

"Hmm," said Finn, frowning.

Kurt glanced sideways at Finn with a raised eyebrow.

"What do you mean, 'hmm'?" he asked cautiously.

"Did Blaine sleep in your room last night?" asked Finn trying to go for nonchalance and failing miserably.

"Maybe, why?" asked Kurt, starting to feel defensive.

"Well, his bed is in my room," replied Finn with a shrug as he reached for the passenger door of Kurt's Navigator. "Where does he sleep when he's sleeping in your room?"

"Why?" asked Kurt, bristling. "What are you _implying_, Finn?"

"I dunno," answered Finn with another shrug as he climbed into the passenger seat. "Seems a little... strange... that he'd choose to sleep on the floor or the foot of your bed instead of in his own bed."

"Okay, Finn," snapped Kurt, feeling colour run from his face at being caught. "Is this another of your homophobic issues with me? You still think that because I'm gay that I'm some sort of man predator?"

"What! Dude! NO!" exclaimed Finn raising his hands in defence. He took a breath and continued, trying to even his voice. "I just... just... I don't know, just be careful, okay? I don't know what's going on between you and Blaine but there's definitely something... and that... that just doesn't seem right, okay? I just... you're my brother and I don't want you to get hurt or... I don't know."

"Okay, whatever, Finn," replied Kurt shortly, making sure not to make eye contact with his step-brother as he turned to look over his shoulder so he could back out of the parking space.

They drove in an awkward silence back to their house. When they got there, Finn turned to Kurt and frowned sadly.

"Dude, I'm sorry," he said with a sigh. "I just, I don't know. Blaine's been acting weird lately and you've been... I don't know... but I'm sorry for making you think that I think that you're..."

"Nevermind, Finn, okay?" cut in Kurt, not wanting to hear anything more from Finn. "Just nevermind. Let's forget about it."

"Yeah, okay," answered Finn softly.

"I'm gonna go meet Tina and Mercedes at the mall in a little bit," spoke Kurt as they stepped into the front entry of the house. "Do you need a ride anywhere?"

"No," replied Finn as he kicked off his sneakers. "Thanks, though, bro."

"K," responded Kurt, simply.

He took off his shoes and jacket and put them away before rushing up to his room to be away from Finn. He couldn't believe Finn of all people was on to him. He needed to figure out a way to solve this whole '_thing_' between Blaine and himself or it was going to get incredibly awkward incredibly fast in the Hummel house.

Kurt realized as he opened his bedroom door that Blaine hadn't been waiting for them at the front door when they got home from school that day. He frowned to himself and wondered where the boy was. Kurt half expected him to be cuddled in his bed waiting for him when he pushed open his bedroom door, but he wasn't. Kurt dropped his book bag on his desk and turned to head back into the hallway. He almost ran into Finn doing so.

"Do you know where..." Kurt began to ask.

"He's in my room," cut in Finn, already knowing who Kurt was asking for. "He's in his bed, asleep."

Kurt frowned. That was unlike Blaine. Finn must have thought so too, because he looked concerned.

"Do you think he's sick?" he asked, motioning for Kurt to follow him to his room.

Kurt followed Finn into his messy room and glanced toward the far corner where Blaine's bed was pushed against the wall. Blaine was curled up in a ball under his blankets.

"Blaine?" asked Kurt, barely above a whisper.

At Kurt's voice, Blaine began to stir under his blankets. His curls were flopped over his forehead like he had slept on them while they were still wet from his shower that morning. It made Kurt wonder if Blaine had gone straight to his bed when Kurt left and had stayed in bed all day.

"Are you okay, Blaine?" he asked, softly.

"He doesn't know what you're saying, Kurt," said Finn, pushing past Kurt to touch Blaine's forehead. "Well, I don't think he has a fever."

"Blaine?" asked Kurt again, choosing to ignore Finn.

Finally, Blaine's eyelids fluttered open revealing his hazel eyes. He looked groggy, but his eyes were alert if not a little sad. Kurt winced, wondering if Blaine was perfectly healthy and it was his reaction to him that morning was what was plaguing the boy. Feeling guilty because he knew Blaine really didn't know better, Kurt knelt down on the floor next to Blaine.

"Finn," said Kurt, not taking his gaze away from the sad eyes staring back at him. "Can you go get him a glass of water? He might not have a fever, but he looks flushed."

Nodding in agreement to Kurt's lie, Finn stood and left the room. Once Finn was gone Kurt reached to gently smooth a few of Blaine's curls from his eyes.

"Blaine," said Kurt again, this time much more tender.

The dark haired boy's brow creased as if he was trying to work something out in his mind. Kurt let his hand softly glide from Blaine's hair down to cup his cheek. Blaine leaned his face into Kurt's hand and closed his eyes letting out a soft sigh.

"Do you want to come with me to the mall?" asked Kurt softly, lifting his other hand to caress the other side of Blaine's face.

Blaine looked up at Kurt. He lifted his hands to Kurt's forearms and tugged him gently. Kurt leaned in and Blaine found his lips with his own. The kiss was sweet, much too sweet for someone who was only _sexually_ interested in the other person. Kurt felt his breath catch in his throat at the soft glide of Blaine's lips against his own.

Kurt broke the kiss to take a breath. He leaned his forehead against Blaine's for a moment, taking a few deep breaths. Blaine's hand found its way to the back of Kurt's neck and he pulled him forward for another kiss. Kurt groaned softly and moved to stand on his knees, wrapping his arms around Blaine's shoulders.

Hearing heavy footsteps on the stairs, Kurt quickly pulled back from Blaine and straightened his shirt. Blaine gave Kurt a confused look but didn't move. A moment later Finn stepped into the room with a glass of water in his hand and a bottle of Tylenol in the other.

"I dunno what's wrong with him, but I brought some Tylenol," said Finn as he approached them.

"Thanks Finn," said Kurt, trying not to look flustered.

"Oh crap, does he even know how to swallow a pill?" asked Finn as he handed the glass of water to a bewildered Blaine.

"I don't think he needs it," replied Kurt with a shrug. "He seems to be better now."

Blaine sat up in his bed to drink the water, keeping a cautious eye on Kurt and Finn as he did so. When he was finished, he handed the glass back to Finn and swung his legs around the edge of the bed so he could get up.

"Well, that's good," uttered Finn, looking suspicious and confused at the same time. It wasn't a good look for him mused Kurt. Finn turned back to the doorway to leave. "I'm gonna go get something to eat."

"Okay," responded Kurt, happy to be rid of Finn.

Blaine stood and, once Finn was gone, Kurt took him by the hand and led him out of the room to his own. Kurt closed his bedroom door once they were inside. He turned, then, and looked Blaine in the eyes. Blaine still looked guarded but had a hopeful glimmer in his eyes.

"Are we okay?" asked Kurt, trying to smile.

Blaine grinned. Kurt exhaled in relief.

"If whatever this is between us is going to work, we need some boundaries, Blaine," informed Kurt. "But, I have no idea how I'm going to get you to understand."

Kurt stared at Blaine for a few moments while he internally fought with himself. There was nothing healthy about this thing between him and Blaine. What Kurt needed was a healthy, normal relationship with a nice boy. What Blaine needed was... well... what _did_ Blaine need? Maybe his father was right, maybe it would be better for Blaine if he were to be 'fixed'... but would that really get rid of all his feelings? Kurt felt sick just thinking it.

But, as confusing as this was for Kurt, this had to be even more-so for Blaine. Blaine with his feelings and his wants and no understanding of how to get what he wanted from Kurt. Kurt couldn't shake the feeling, though, that Blaine was more than just attracted to him.

What did Blaine feel toward him?

Sighing, Kurt shook his head to try to rid himself of his current thoughts. Blaine was still standing before him, returning his gaze, and waiting. Forcing a smile onto his face, Kurt stepped closer to Blaine and appraised his outfit.

"You need to change if you're going to come with me to the mall," said Kurt. "All you have is t-shirts and shorts or jeans, though. Figures since Carole picked out your clothes for you and I guess you have no reason to try to stay trendy." Kurt paused to think. "Well, if you're going to be seen in public with me, you're going to have to step it up a notch, Blaine."

He moved to his closet and began to rifle through it in search of something that would both fit and suit Blaine. He pulled out a grey shawl-collared sweater and held it up to Blaine's torso, an eyebrow raised critically. Shaking his head, he returned it to his closet. Finally, he decided on a white and black striped pullover that he could couple with a charcoal French-rib sweater jacket with red lining.

"Put this on," he said to Blaine, holding up the pullover.

Blaine looked at him curiously but lifted the hem of his t-shirt and pulled it over his head. He dropped the shirt to the floor before taking the striped pullover from Kurt. After Blaine had pulled the shirt on, Kurt took a moment to straighten it, running his hands slowly over Blaine's shoulders and down his chest. He stood there for a moment, his hands resting on Blaine's chest before he realized what he was doing and pulled back.

"Now this," said Kurt handing Blaine the sweater jacket.

Kurt moved to his dresser to pull out his pair of black-wash, slim-fitting jeans. Understanding they were for him, Blaine was already tugging off his wrinkled jeans when Kurt turned back to him. His ass looked absolutely delicious in just his black briefs as he bent over. Kurt swallowed and held the folded pair of jeans out to him when Blaine straightened. He took them and pulled them on.

"Not bad," said Kurt once Blaine was fully dressed. "The jeans are a little long, though."

He bent down and rolled up the pant legs so they were at Blaine's ankles. He looked kind of cute like that, with his pants rolled up at the bottoms, thought Kurt. He smiled to himself.

"Alright," said Kurt. "I think we're ready to go."

Kurt was about to turn to lead Blaine down to the front door when a realization struck him.

"Just one more thing, and you have to promise you'll stay close to me if I do this," said Kurt, biting his lip as he looked at Blaine's collar.

He took a few steps toward Blaine so he was standing directly in front of the boy. Reaching for Blaine's neck, he gently unfastened the buckle on his brown collar and slid it from his neck. Setting the collar down on his bed, Kurt turned back to Blaine. Suddenly, the boy looked very much like a normal boy his age and Kurt couldn't help the sudden stutter his heart beat took on. Yes, without his collar, Blaine looked like a normal boy –a normal, well-dressed, gorgeous boy with a messy head of dark curls and bright, beautiful hazel eyes that were fixed on Kurt.

"Well," croaked Kurt. He swallowed and tried to get his voice to work properly before continuing. "Well, this should be interesting."

Kurt motioned for Blaine to follow him as he left his bedroom and headed downstairs. He glanced at the time on the clock in the hallway. He had just enough time to get to the mall to meet Tina and Mercedes in the food court like they had planned. Kurt could feel his nerves sneaking up on him but he pushed them aside. Blaine deserved to get out of the house and do things normal kids do, but bringing him could be a fun adventure or a complete disaster.

Finn was sitting at the kitchen island eating a sandwich and flipping through a newspaper when Kurt and Blaine came down the stairs. He looked up from the sports section when they walked past.

"What's going on?" he asked with his mouth full of peanut butter and jelly.

"Headed to the mall," said Kurt, giving Finn an incredulous look because 'duh' he should have already known that.

"With Blaine?" asked Finn his voice a mixture of surprise and accusation.

"Uh, yeah," stammered Kurt, not making eye contact. "Carole said he needed new clothes and... well... I love shopping... so..."

Finn nodded and went back to his sandwich and newspaper. He seemed fine to believe Kurt's lie. Kurt exhaled shakily when he and Blaine were safely hidden from Finn in the entry. He passed Blaine his pair of shoes before putting on his own.

Blaine had been content to follow Kurt out of the house but the moment Kurt stepped up to his big, black Navigator, Blaine came to an abrupt stop. He had never ridden in Kurt's Navigator and the only times the Hummels had taken him anywhere in a car was when they brought him home and when he went to the doctor for his check up. Kurt was halfway into the driver's seat before he realized that Blaine was still standing on the sidewalk near the house.

"Blaine?" he called, dropping his foot back to the ground and walking around the side of the vehicle. "What's wrong, Blaine?"

The curly haired boy bit his lip and continued to stare at the vehicle. Kurt reached for Blaine's hand and gave it a gentle tug.

"We're just going to the mall," Kurt said in what he hoped was a reassuring voice because he knew Blaine probably didn't understand what he was saying but he definitely understood his tone.

Blaine reluctantly followed Kurt to the passenger side of the vehicle. Kurt let go of his hand so he could open the door for him. Before climbing in, Blaine looked at Kurt for assurance. Kurt simply smiled. Blaine seemed to study his face for a few moments before finally getting in the vehicle. Nodding in satisfaction, Kurt shut the door and trotted around to the other side to get in the driver's door.

When he was settled in his seat, Kurt looked over at Blaine who was sitting straight backed with his hands folded together in his lap. His knuckles were white.

"Aww Blaine," cooed Kurt, reaching over to place his hand over Blaine's hands. "Everything is alright, you don't have to be nervous."

After Blaine had relaxed slightly, Kurt raised his hand from Blaine's and reached past him to pull his seatbelt across his chest for him. Kurt clicked it into place and then sat back in his seat to do up his own. He started the ignition and put the vehicle in reverse to back out of his driveway.

Blaine stared out the window as they drove; his eyes big and bright as he took in all the sights of the town. Soon they reached the mall's parking lot and Kurt drove down a few rows before finding a parking space he deemed satisfactory. He parked the Navigator and turned off the ignition. Before getting out, he looked over at Blaine and smiled warmly.

"We're here," spoke Kurt, trying to suppress the nervous feeling crawling up his throat.

Kurt unbuckled Blaine and himself before he got out of the vehicle and walked around the side to wait for Blaine. The curly haired boy fumbled with his door handle for a bit before he figured it out and opened his door. He stepped out of the Navigator and immediately glued himself to Kurt's side.

"I really hope this won't be a problem, but I'm going to tell you right now," said Kurt as he pointed his keychain at the Navigator and locked it as they walked away. "You have to stay close to me at the mall. There are lots of people here and you can't talk so you can't wander away and get lost. So, stay close to me, okay?"

Blaine immediately reached for Kurt's hand as they reached the large front doors of the mall. Kurt wasn't sure what was worse, being seen in Lima, Ohio holding another guy's hand, or the possibility that someone could find out that this wasn't some guy, but his pet. He bit his lip in worry, not wanting to turn down the nervous boy but really not feeling safe holding his hand in public.

Finally, after a few steps of their hands knocking together while Blaine kept trying to capture Kurt's in his own, Kurt let out a deep breath and clasped on to Blaine's hand. The boy seemed to calm immediately. It made Kurt feel good to know that he could have such an effect on Blaine, still, he hoped that he wouldn't see anyone from school besides Mercedes and Tina.

The mall seemed busier than usual for a Wednesday afternoon, or perhaps it was Kurt's nerves making it seem so. Blaine pressed himself close to Kurt's side in the crowded hallway, looking around with wide eyes as he allowed Kurt to guide them toward the food court. Kurt couldn't help but wince when he felt judgmental eyes fall on them. It wasn't just hand-holding; Blaine's whole right side was practically moulded to Kurt. Kurt mused mirthlessly as to what everyone would think if they knew that not only was Blaine the same sex as Kurt, but he was also a house pet.

Kurt let out an audible sigh of relief as they reached the edge of the food court and his eyes quickly found Tina and Mercedes sitting at a table near the Pita restaurant chain. He raised his right arm to give them a quick wave and then hurriedly led Blaine to the table they were sitting at.

"You brought him to the mall," exclaimed Mercedes excitedly as Kurt and Blaine sat down across from her and Tina. "I thought you said that..."

"So, Tina, Mercedes," cut in Kurt, grinning nervously. "Did you order anything yet?"

"Nope, we were waiting for you, silly," said Tina with a bright smile as she eyed Blaine curiously. "Who's your friend, Kurt?"

"This is... uh..." stammered Kurt suddenly realizing he hadn't thought this through at all. Did he want to let Tina know Blaine's identity? "This is Blaine."

"Hi Blaine!" exclaimed Tina, her smile growing even larger.

"He doesn't talk," said Kurt, when Blaine didn't answer Tina. "He's um..."

"Shy," offered Mercedes. "He's really shy."

"Oh, well, he's really cute, too," replied Tina winking at Blaine. "So are you guys..."  
>"Uh, no," stammered Kurt. "No, we're just... friends, I guess."<p>

"With benefits," added Mercedes under her breath.

"Mercedes!" exclaimed Kurt, face turning red.

"So, it's true," laughed Tina.

"No!"

"Your bright red face tells otherwise," replied Tina with a knowing grin.

Kurt glanced sideways at Blaine who was watching their back and forth with interest. Sensing Kurt's eyes on him, Blaine turned to look at Kurt and smiled brightly.

"Awww," teased Mercedes. "Yeah, definitely just friends."

"Okay, well, whatever we are, we're a secret," replied Kurt. "So, please don't tell anyone from school, okay?"

"I don't know why you'd want to keep anything as gorgeous as him a secret, but sure, okay," answered Tina, still grinning.

"So, where should we eat?" asked Mercedes, looking around the court as if weighing their options. "What does Blaine like?"

"I don't even know," answered Kurt, shocked at his own admittance. What did Blaine like? "He just eats whatever he's given. I guess he's not picky?"

What Kurt had said must not have sounded right to Tina because she had a confused but calculating look on her face. Kurt grimaced.

"The Pita Place is right there, though," said Kurt, trying to continue the conversation before Tina had much time to ponder. "I think I'll just get a pita."

Kurt thought for a moment before turning to Blaine.

"Blaine," he asked, hoping to high heaven that Blaine would make a gesture in response. "Do you want a pita?"

To his dismay, Blaine just looked at him with a lost expression. Kurt could feel the colour draining from his face as he imagined Tina catching on. He quickly gestured to the store front beside them.

"I'm going to get a pita, do you want one?" he asked again, floundering and feeling absolutely exposed to Mercedes and Tina's judgments.

Blaine stood and nodded this time and Kurt felt a wave of relief flood through his entire system. He stood, then, and led Blaine to the Pita Place and pulled his wallet out from his bag. Kurt took some time to look over the menu even though he planned on getting his usual, he just needed the time to regain his composure and steady his breathing. He wondered to himself what kind of pita Blaine would like best, trying to think over the last few meals they had and what Blaine had eaten most enthusiastically.

"What'll it be, boys?" asked an older lady from behind the counter.

"I'll have a Chicken Souvlaki and he'll have a B.L.T." answered Kurt; figuring one couldn't go wrong with a B.L.T.

The lady behind the counter began to assemble their pitas for them as Kurt every so often gave her directions of what he liked and didn't like. Kurt just allowed her to make the generic B.L.T. for Blaine seeing as he had no idea what Blaine would want to change. She was just about to roll up the pitas when Blaine quickly pointed at the pickles and elbowed Kurt.

"Pickles!" declared Kurt in surprise.

The lady behind the counter looked up at him with a questioning look.

"Um, sorry," laughed Kurt breathlessly before forcing his voice to sound normal. "Can we get pickles on the B.L.T. please?"

"Sure thing, Hun," she replied as she picked up a handful of pickles in her gloved hand and spread them across Blaine's pita. "Is that everything?"

Kurt looked to Blaine and gestured to the counter. Blaine shook his head.

"That's all," replied Kurt, grinning happily.

The woman raised her eyebrow at Kurt's enthusiasm but shrugged to herself before rolling up the pitas and wrapping them in paper. She moved them over to the till and began typing them into the register. Kurt quickly grabbed a can of tomato juice from the cooler by the till and placed it on the counter.

"Pick something to drink," Kurt offered, gesturing to the cooler.

Blaine furrowed his brow as if it were the biggest decision of his life before he finally chose and orange juice and set it beside Kurt's tomato juice. Once the lady had totalled their order, Kurt paid her and then picked up the tray and walked back to the table. Mercedes had already left and returned and had a plate of Chinese food in front of her. Tina was still gone.

"Mercedes," said Kurt excitedly as he set down the tray. "Blaine chose his toppings."

She looked across the table at him for a few beats, obviously trying to work out the importance of his statement before it finally registered.

"Oh my GOSH, are you serious?" she exclaimed.

"He chose his drink, too," replied Kurt, nodding proudly.

He took special care in pushing back the pessimistic thoughts in his mind asking him if being this excited about something so small was such a good thing. He wanted to revel in this small achievement.

Kurt passed Blaine's pita and drink to him now that they were both seated at the table. Blaine watched Kurt open the paper from his pita and take a bite before he touched his own. After seeing how it was done, Blaine carefully picked up his own and tore the paper the exact same way Kurt had and raised the pita to his mouth, taking a large bite.

"So, Blaine," asked Mercedes, watching him intently from across the table. "What do you think? Do you like it?"

Blaine grinned at her, showing the food in his chipmunked cheeks. Mercedes let out an indecorous snort of amusement and shook her head.

"Seriously, Kurt," she said as she dug into her ginger beef with her fork. "He is the cutest thing on earth."

Just then Tina sat down beside Mercedes with a slice of pizza and side of salad.

"Ugh," she exhaled in frustration. "The line up was ridiculous; I should have just had a pita with you guys."

Blaine looked at Tina's large slice of pizza with interest, before going back to eating his pita. The four of them ate in silence for a short time before Kurt broke the silence.

"So, what do you want to do after this?" asked Kurt. "I kind of lied about Blaine needing new clothes to get out of the house with him, so, I figure I need to return with a few shopping bags. Otherwise, I'm still good from our shopping trip last weekend, 'Cedes."

"Last weekend?" asked Tina through bites of her salad.

"Remember, that huge sale?" asked Mercedes. "I asked you if you wanted to come but you were busy with Mike."

"Oh, right," nodded Tina. "How was it?"

"Fantastic," replied Mercedes and Kurt at the same time causing them to laugh.

"So many amazing deals," said Kurt, setting down his half-eaten pita to gesture at the shirt he was wearing. "I got this there for half price!"

"And you complained that they probably wouldn't have anything to your 'fabulous tastes'," laughed Mercedes before taking another bite.


	7. Chapter 7

**Title:** Man's Best Friend  
><strong>Pairings<strong>: Kurt/Blaine  
><strong>Rating<strong>: R  
><strong>Warnings:<strong> Pet!Blaine and all that entails  
><strong>Note<strong>: This story is a fill for a prompt at the Glee **Kink** Meme on livejournal.

* * *

><p><em>Chapter Seven<br>_

* * *

><p>Mercedes grabbed onto Kurt's arm and swung him away from the high end clothing store he was about to usher Blaine into.<p>

"Absolutely not," she snapped. "You are not gonna dress my baby in runway fashion! You're fabulous, Kurt, but Blaine doesn't need to dress exactly like you to look amazing."

"You said you liked how he looked today," said Kurt, scowling at her. "He's wearing clothes from _my_ closet right now."

"Yeah, well..." Mercedes just pulled Kurt and Blaine toward a different store without making a real comeback.

"Aeropostale?" exclaimed Kurt as Mercedes pulled them into the store with Tina following behind. "You _have_ to be kidding me, 'Cedes."

"What's wrong with it?" asked Mercedes.

"Overpriced graphic tees and douche-bag cargo shorts? Really?" exclaimed Kurt, planting his feet in the doorway. "There's no way we're dressing Blaine in this crap."

"Perhaps you could let Blaine pick?" asked Tina, timidly, but smiling.

"My money, my choice," retorted Kurt, hands on hips and chin raised defiantly.

"Okay, let's find some middle ground," offered Mercedes, noticing Blaine's wide eyes. "How about American Eagle?"

"Hardly better," sighed Kurt.

"H&M?" suggested Tina after looking across the mall hallway at the different store fronts.

"I'll allow it," exhaled Kurt with a slight nod.

Mercedes and Tina both grinned. They each grabbed onto one of Blaine's hands and practically dragged him into the store. Kurt hurried his pace to keep up with the girls and disoriented Blaine. Once they had successfully gotten Blaine into the men's section of the store, Tina and Mercedes left him to look through the racks of clothing. Kurt moved to stand beside Blaine and patted him reassuringly on the shoulder before finding his own rack to look through. Soon they were ushering Blaine back into the change rooms, each shopper carrying a pile of clothing they thought would look good on their new dress-up doll.

"Okay, time to try these on," said Kurt, smiling brightly at Blaine.

Obviously remembering Kurt fussing over him to try on clothes earlier that day, Blaine quickly moved to unbuckle his pants at the sight of the pile of clothes Kurt was holding.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," laughed Kurt, grabbing for the top of Blaine's jeans before the oblivious boy dropped them to the floor. "Oh Blaine, you have absolutely no shame."

Kurt could feel his cheeks warming up with embarrassment as Tina and Mercedes laughed behind him. He pushed Blaine backward into the closest change stall and closed the door behind them.

"Okay, now you can drop the pants," he directed as he let go of Blaine's jeans.

Once Blaine's jeans were off, Kurt gave him a pair of off-white chinos to put on. Blaine pulled them on and worked at fastening the button on the fly. Kurt then helped Blaine out of the sweater jacket before shoving a blue and white striped knitted jumper into his hands so he would put it on. Once dressed, Kurt gave Blaine a quick once over with an appraising eye before nodding approvingly.

"Alright, we better show 'Cedes and Tina," said Kurt, moving to unlock the stall door. "Presenting the new H&M model... Blaine," announced Kurt as he stepped out of the change stall and gestured to Blaine.

The girls both looked Blaine up and down for a moment before clapping and nodding their heads.

"Oh yeah!" exclaimed Tina with a smile. "You look fantastic, Blaine!" She turned her gaze to Kurt, then, and said, "That sweater makes his shoulders look bigger and his waist look tiny! He's so hot!"

Kurt grinned for a moment before schooling his face into a haughty expression.

"Yes, well, good fashion accentuates a person's best features," he explained with a dignified nod.

"Okay, okay," said Mercedes, moving to stand. "Now get him to try on the clothes I picked out for him!"

"Oooh! Me too!" exclaimed Tina, thrusting her pile of clothes into Kurt's arms.

"He hasn't even tried on everything I picked for him, yet!" complained Kurt, taking the clothes from the girls. "Blaine," he said, turning to the curly haired boy standing in the doorway of the change stall. "Try these on and show us, okay?"

Blaine pursed his lips but took the pile of clothes from Kurt and backed into the stall. He closed the door and fumbled with the lock for a bit before pushing the door back open and giving Kurt a pleading look.

"Need help?" asked Kurt, stepping into the stall with Blaine. "It's a complicated lock," he quickly explained to Mercedes and Tina who were both giving him matching critical but amused looks.

"Yes, I bet it is," replied Mercedes with a raised eyebrow.

Kurt rolled his eyes and shut the stall door. He helped Blaine put together outfits from the clothing that Kurt, Mercedes and Tina had chosen and tried not to watch as Blaine fumbled to change into the outfits.

"So, what _is_ the deal with Blaine, anyway?" Kurt heard Tina ask of Mercedes from the other side of the door. "I get that he doesn't talk because he's shy, but does he talk at _all_?"

"Not really, no," came Mercedes' reply. Kurt prayed she wouldn't give anything away. "I dunno, maybe he's had some trauma or something in his past. I am not really sure, Kurt hasn't told me why."

"He's so cute," said Tina after a few moments of silence. "There's definitely something strange about him, though. I don't know, just the way he carries himself or something."

"He's a sweetheart," was Mercedes' only response to that, much to Kurt's relief.

Kurt bit his lip nervously and turned his attention back to Blaine who was struggling with the buttons on the pair of jeans he had just put on. Instead of a zipper, the jeans had five buttons. Blaine made a frustrated sound in his throat and looked up at Kurt helplessly. Kurt couldn't help but chuckle softly.

"Let me help," he said softly as he reached out to do up the pants.

Suddenly he realized the kind of position he had just put himself in. He was crammed in a tiny change stall with an incredibly attractive half-dressed boy and his hands were at his crotch. Kurt's face blazed red and he began to hum awkwardly to himself, trying to seem casual, as he worked the buttons through the holes of the fly of Blaine's jeans.

Just as he finished the last button he felt Blaine's hands close over his biceps as the curly-haired boy took a step closer to him, pressing his hips into Kurt's hand.

"Oh lord," croaked Kurt, daring to look up at Blaine.

Blaine had a serious expression on his face. His pupils were slightly dilated and staring fixedly back at him. Kurt felt his breath catch in his throat as he straightened and moved his hands away from the front of Blaine's jeans. Not sure where to put them, he finally placed them on Blaine's hips. A smile tugged at the corners of Blaine's mouth and just as the movement registered in Kurt's mind, Blaine's lips were against his. Kurt moaned softly and tilted his head to better get at Blaine's mouth.

A heavy knock on the stall door caused them to break apart in surprise only moments later.

"What's taking so long?" asked Mercedes. "You guys better not be in there getting your mac on while we sit out here waiting on you like fools!"

Grinning impishly, Kurt let go of Blaine's hips and picked up another shirt for him. Blaine pulled on the t-shirt and then the checked plaid shirt Kurt handed to him next. Kurt did up a few of the buttons for him, surprised at how much he liked the red, white, and navy hooded long-sleeve shirt on Blaine, even if it was a little below Kurt's usual tastes.

Kurt pushed the stall door open to show the girls the outfit. They were both. After having Blaine try on a few more pieces, Kurt and girls found they had more issue trying to whittle down the 'keep pile' than they did trying to find things for Blaine to wear. Tina explained that it was because Blaine looked good in _everything_ with which Mercedes and Kurt had to agree.

Finally, they narrowed the choices down to the pair of beige chinos Kurt had picked out, a pair of jeans, a few t-shirts for layering, the lovely striped sweater and the hooded plaid long-sleeve shirt that Kurt surprised himself at liking. On the way to the till, Kurt made sure to grab a belt that would look good with the outfits they had chosen.

"You better be grateful," grumbled Kurt as he paid for the clothes. "You're costing me my entire clothing budget for the next month!"

Blaine just smiled sweetly at him, as if he had any concept of money.

"So," spoke Tina as the group of four walked back through the mall hallway after leaving the clothing store. "Movie?"

"Definitely," answered Mercedes.

"Sounds good to me," replied Kurt with a nod. "Can I run to the bathroom while you guys are in line, though? Too much tomato juice."

"Sure," laughed Mercedes, taking Kurt's shopping bag from him.

Blaine moved to follow Kurt, but Mercedes grabbed his hand to stop him. Kurt bit his lip and looked between Blaine and Mercedes with concern.

"We'll take care of your boy for you," she reassured Kurt. "Don't worry."

Kurt nodded, feeling ridiculous for being so worried about leaving Blaine for only a few minutes, and turned to head toward the washrooms.

"So Blaine," said Tina, trying to get the boy's attention when he got fidgety watching Kurt go. "What movie do you want to see?"

Blaine turned to look at Tina when she addressed him, but gave no indication that he understood her question or had an answer.

"Let's go check out what's playing," suggested Mercedes, pulling Blaine by the hand.

They made their way further down the hall toward the cinema and stood in the growing line up. Mercedes loved having a movie theatre right in the mall and had been making good use of it ever since it had opened the summer before. It seemed, though, that everyone else in Lima felt the same way because there was always a long line-up in the evenings.

"So, Blaine and Kurt are a _thing_?" asked Tina, leaning in to whisper the question to Mercedes.

"Well, not really, no," replied Mercedes in a matching hushed tone. She knew it didn't matter if she said it out loud in front of Blaine, but she figured it looked better to Tina if she didn't. "It's more like Blaine is absolutely in love with Kurt and... Kurt... well, I don't know exactly how he feels but I think he's worried it'll be inappropriate since Blaine is staying with them right now. Which is why we can't say _anything_ about Blaine to anyone at school, _okay_? Especially Finn. We don't want any of this to get back to Kurt's family."

"Right," responded Tina, seemingly excited to be in on the big secret. "Blaine who?"

"Good girl," laughed Mercedes.

A few moments passed of Blaine getting increasingly antsy at Mercedes' side. She squeezed his hand and patted his arm knowing he was worried as to whether Kurt was coming back or not. The line moved a few feet and Tina and Mercedes were having a friendly argument over which movie they should watch when suddenly Blaine gasped. The two girls looked at him in surprise but he was staring off across the long, open hall. Before Mercedes or Tina had a chance to figure out what he was looking at, Blaine had ripped his hand out of Mercedes' and was running off.

"Blaine!" called out Mercedes. "Oh no, if I lose him Kurt'll kill me!"

She and Tina started running after Blaine but he was much too fast.

"Mercedes," exclaimed Tina grabbing her friend's arm and slowing so she could properly point.

Following Tina's finger with her eyes, Mercedes looked down the hallway and quickly found Blaine's target. She breathed in sharply as she recognized David Karofsky and two of his goons hovering over Kurt at the edge of the hall.

"Out shopping for a new dress, Homo?" asked Dave in a mocking tone.

"What do you want, Karofsky?" asked Kurt, glaring daggers at him and refusing to look frightened even with the three football players looming over him.

"Hey now," replied Dave putting up his hands in mock defence. "Can't a guy talk to his buddy outside of school? We're pals, aren't we, Fancy?"

"Oh yeah," replied Kurt sarcastically. "The _best_ of _friends_."

Kurt wondered if they would do anything in a public place like the mall where there would undoubtedly be witnesses. That train of thought took him further to wondering if it would be better or worse at a mall than in the halls of McKinley High. Would people be more likely to notice or care here or would they be even more apt to turn a blind eye? He suddenly felt a sick curiosity over the entire situation. Obviously the fear he was working so hard to suppress was causing him to lose his grip of reality just a little.

"Are you even listening to me, _fag_?" came a gruff voice, clearing Kurt's thoughts and bringing him back to the present.

He was blinking the scene back into focus when suddenly he felt hands roughly push him backward into a burly pair of arms which quickly locked around his own to hold him secure. Dave and another boy stepped up close to sneer into his face. He closed his eyes, expecting the two boys to start issuing blows to his stomach.

"What the hell?" called out Dave causing Kurt to open his eyes.

It was just in time to see Blaine angrily pushing Dave backward. The other boy rushed at Blaine, but Blaine jutted out his elbow and pegged him sharply in the face. He cried out in pain as his nose instantly began to drip blood. Kurt struggled against the boy holding his arms up over his head, but he couldn't free himself.

Dave righted himself and turned on Blaine. He looked twice the size as Blaine in that moment and Kurt couldn't help the high-pitched cry that came out of his mouth when Dave pulled back his fist to deliver a blow to Blaine's face.

"What is going on here?" came the angry voice of a mall cop.

The boy restraining Kurt quickly let him go and ran off with the other. Dave unclenched his fists, the angry expression on his face turning to fear at the sight of the man in uniform standing in front of him. Blaine stumbled to his knees, holding his face. Kurt was quick to kneel at his side.

"Blaine," he let out a soft sob. "Blaine, are you okay? Let me see."

"That crazy idiot attacked me!" exclaimed Dave, pointing at Blaine.

"Right," snapped Kurt looking away from Blaine to glare at Dave. "Some kid half your size decided to ambush you and your Neanderthal buddies just for kicks. It wasn't at all that you were trying to commit a _HATE CRIME _and he came along trying to save me."

"Hate crime," retorted Dave half scared and half scoffing. "Whatever man!" He turned to the mall cop and gave him a pleading look. "You saw the kid attack me, didn't you?"

"I saw _you_ punch _him_ in the face," replied the mall cop before picking up his radio to say some absurd code into it asking for back up. "I think you should come with me, kid."

"What about them?" exclaimed Dave in the beginnings of a panic.

"How's he doing?" asked the man, turning to Kurt.

"Just a black eye, I think," replied Kurt, gently pulling Blaine's hands from his face.

"Take him straight home and get some ice on it," directed the man before turning back to Dave. "Better?"

"Not what I meant," muttered Dave under his breath.

Mercedes and Tina showed up just as the mall cop left with Dave in tow. Kurt was pulled Blaine to his feet and directed him to a nearby bench.

"Oh my gosh," exclaimed Tina. "Is he okay?"

"I think so," answered Kurt, trying to keep the quaver from his voice. "Sorry girls, but I think Blaine and I are going to call it a day."

"Of course," stammered Mercedes, her eyes wide with worry.

"Oh," exhaled Kurt as he pulled into his driveway. "I didn't even think about what Dad and Carole would think when they got home and you weren't there. Oh. And... oh... oh... They'll ask Finn where we are and Finn'll say that I took you shopping _like Carole had asked_ and... and on top of that we're going to go in there with you all beat up and there's going to be questions... Oh Blaine, this is not going to go well."

Kurt groaned as he put his vehicle in park and turned off the ignition. He was not good at this whole lying thing and if he was going to continue to do things like this with Blaine, he had better get a lot better really fast. Hiding bruises and slushy-stained clothes he could do, but outright lying, he just wasn't practised at in the least.

Pushing aside his worry over being caught in a lie, Kurt got out of the Navigator and ran over to the passenger side. Opening the door he reached in, undid Blaine's seatbelt, and helped the boy out of the vehicle. He grabbed the large shopping bag before shutting the door. Having no pride to cause him to put up any facades, Blaine whined softly and leaned heavily on Kurt as they walked up to the house.

"Not used to that kind of pain, huh?" asked Kurt conversationally as he opened the front door and helped Blaine inside.

"Dad?" he called out as they took their shoes off in the entry, figuring there was no use in prolonging the inevitable. "We're home."

Finn appeared in the doorway, then.

"They went out for dinner," he informed.

Kurt let out a sigh of relief.

"Dude," exclaimed Finn after taking a look at Blaine. "What happened?"

"David Karofsky happened," replied Kurt through grit teeth.

"What? Why would he want to hurt Blaine?" questioned Finn, his face screwing up in confusion.

Kurt directed Blaine into the kitchen and sat him down on a chair. The curly haired boy leaned against the edge of the table like he might be dizzy.

"He and his thugs attacked me and Blaine got all protective," explained Kurt as he grabbed an icepack from the freezer and wrapped it in a kitchen towel.

"Serious?" Finn looked impressed. "Wow, Blaine is either incredibly brave or incredibly stupid."

"I'm going with the last of those two," muttered Kurt as he pressed the towel-wrapped icepack to Blaine's face causing the boy to suck in a breath. "Shh, Blaine, it's okay. I'll help the swelling."

"Poor dude," sighed Finn, shaking his head. "That's gonna be a good shiner." He paused for a minute and then looked pointedly at Kurt. "What are you going to tell Mom and your dad?"

"I don't know," replied Kurt with a sigh. "Probably the truth."

Finn winced in empathy before his expression changed to something a little more suspicious.

"You know," he started. "They asked where you and Blaine were when they got home from work."

"Oh?" choked Kurt, not daring to look at Finn in that moment.

"Yeah, and mom seemed confused when I said you were taking Blaine shopping for new clothes like she had asked," replied Finn, moving to lean against the counter and cross his arms over his chest.

"Finn," spoke Kurt, not even sure what he was about to say. "See, the thing is... well... Dad said he was gonna try having Blaine work in the shop a few times a week and so I knew Blaine would be needing some new clothes for that. His wardrobe is definitely lacking in the 'I leave the house' department. So, I kind of wanted to beat Carole to the punch this time because, well... let's face it, between your mom and me, I definitely have the better taste. So, uh... I thought he could use his current, awful clothing for work and I could get him some nice stuff... but then you were acting all suspicious of me and so I didn't want to add another thing to the..."

"I said I was sorry for that," sighed Finn, stepping away from the counter. "Kurt, I'm sorry."

"Yeah, okay," replied Kurt, still keeping his eyes trained on Blaine to avoid Finn. "I'm sorry for lying; I don't want to make a habit of it."

"Yeah, cuz you kind of suck at it," chuckled Finn.

"I really do," answered Kurt, softly. "I really, really do."

Kurt picked up Blaine's hand and pressed it against the icepack, directing him to hold it there himself. Then he straightened from his crouching position and walked across the kitchen in search of the Tylenol and a glass of water.

"I guess we'll see if he can swallow these, now," commented Kurt as he shook two little red pills from the bottle before putting it away.

Stepping back across the kitchen to stand by Blaine's side, Kurt set the glass of water down on the table and offered the two pills to Blaine. He waited for Blaine to open his eyes and look at his outstretched hand before speaking.

"You have to swallow these, Blaine," said Kurt, softly.

Blaine reached with his free hand and took the pills. Kurt grabbed the glass and offered it to Blaine as he put the pills in his mouth. Of course, he immediately started chewing them.

"No!" hollered Kurt, starting to laugh at the expression on Blaine's face. "You were supposed to swallow them whole."

Quickly, Blaine reached for the water and took a few large gulps. He set the glass down heavily on the table and shook his head in disgust. Kurt laughed and patted Blaine's shoulder affectionately.

"We definitely have to buy some chewable children's Tylenol for him at some point," snickered Kurt, looking back at Finn who was wearing an empathetic facial expression of distaste.

"Dude, have you ever tried chewing that Tylenol?" asked Finn. "It is _bad_! You should get him something to eat or something. That tastes stays in your mouth for a long time."

"I'm not going to ask how you know this," scoffed Kurt before getting up and going to the fridge to find something for Blaine to eat.

Kurt got out an apple and handed it to Blaine before turning to Finn.

"Finn," Kurt started, his face going solemn. "Please don't tell anyone at school about this."

"What?" questioned Finn.

"About what Dave and his friends did today," explained Kurt. "I don't want anyone at school to know, okay?"

"But, why, Kurt?" asked Finn. "Puck and I could..."

"No, just no," exclaimed Kurt.

If Finn talked about the idiots hitting his _pet _it would get back to Tina who would most likely be 'creeped-out' by Kurt and by extension Mercedes. He liked Tina, but he didn't trust her to not gossip about it either and the last thing he needed was to go from being the _'gay kid'_ to being the _'creepy gay kid who pretended his pet was his boyfriend'_. Kurt felt sick just thinking about it.

"Listen, people at school already mock me for being the weak, pale, little gay kid, I do not need them talking about how I have to bring my pet with me to protect me," continued Kurt. "Finn, it'll make things worse at school for me. Please, just don't say a word, okay?"

"Fine," conceded Finn, letting his shoulders drop. "You know, if you tell your dad what really happened, though, he'll definitely bring it up at school or with the kids' parents."

"You're right," exclaimed Kurt. "Finn, what am I going to do? This is a mess!"

Finn thought for a few minutes. The kitchen went silent except for the munching sounds of Blaine eating his apple while still pressing the icepack to his eye.

"Why don't we just say that Blaine and I were playing football outside and I accidently got him in the eye with my elbow?" suggested Finn.

"That might work," replied Kurt. "Yeah, let's go with that. You guys get pretty rough. Yeah, so, we got home from the mall and Blaine was still full of energy so you and him went out in the backyard and played tackle football. While you guys were wrestling for the ball, you got him in the eye with your elbow and so you brought him inside and we iced it and gave him Tylenol. Yeah, that sounds pretty good, right? I don't know, you said I suck at lying."

"It sounds good," answered Finn with a nod. "They'll probably buy it."

"Thanks so much, Finn," sighed Kurt, feeling relieved that they had a plan. He turned to look back at Blaine who still looked absolutely miserable. "I think I'll take Blaine upstairs, I have homework to do and he looks like he needs to lie down."

At Finn's nod, Kurt pulled Blaine up out of his seat and ushered him toward the stairs.


	8. Chapter 8

**Title:** Man's Best Friend  
><strong>Pairings<strong>: Kurt/Blaine  
><strong>Rating<strong>: R  
><strong>Warnings:<strong> Pet!Blaine and all that entails  
><strong>Note<strong>: This story is a fill for a prompt at the Glee **Kink** Meme on livejournal.

* * *

><p><em>Chapter Eight<br>_

* * *

><p>Blaine collapsed to Kurt's bed when they reached his room.<p>

"Wait," commanded Kurt softly, moving to kneel beside Blaine on the bed. "You'll be more comfortable if..."

Instead of finishing the sentence, Kurt reached for Blaine and undid the sweater jacket, sliding it off Blaine's shoulders. He got up and hung it in his closet before turning back to Blaine. Kurt laid down on his side, head in hand propped up on his elbow. Blaine stretched out on his back on the bed and scooted closer to Kurt's chest.

"I don't normally like it when people do things like that for me but," spoke Kurt before pushing Blaine's hand holding the icepack to his eye away from his face. "You saved me, today, Blaine."

Kurt leaned down, then, and gently touched his lips to the darkening bruise around Blaine's eye. When he moved back into his former position, Kurt's eyes met Blaine's and they held each other's gaze for a few long moments. Letting out a soft sigh, Blaine began to absently caress Kurt's chest while he closed his eyes and relaxed in the bed. He seemed so content just lying under Kurt's gaze.

Enjoying Blaine's touch, Kurt started unbuttoning his shirt. He didn't know what possessed him to do it except that he suddenly felt an overwhelming need to feel Blaine's hand on his skin. Blaine opened his eyes when he noticed Kurt's movement. His eyes widened as he watched Kurt unbutton his dress shirt –well, his _eye_ widened; the other was quite swollen despite the icepack.

When Kurt had finished unbuttoning his shirt, Blaine moved to push it open to reveal the milky skin beneath. He stared at Kurt's bare chest reverently for a few moments before running his hand down Kurt's torso. Kurt sighed lightly, Blaine's gaze felt like trust and his caresses like absolute adoration. He'd never felt something like this before and it made Kurt feel like he was floating.

After a few strokes, Blaine moved even closer to Kurt, pressing his face into his chest. He breathed in deeply as if trying to inhale the entirety of Kurt's scent. He pushed at Kurt, directing him to lie on his back. When Kurt conceded, Blaine moved to lie next to him, his face nuzzled into Kurt. Kurt ran his fingers through Blaine's dark curly hair while Blaine cuddled against his chest and allowed himself to start drifting to sleep.

Kurt fell asleep soon after Blaine, his arms wrapped loosely around the boy's shoulders. He felt completely at ease in those moments, not caring to worry about the mess of lies he had gotten himself into that day or the still looming threat of Blaine's future when he and Finn moved away at the end of the school year. He wasn't thinking about the issues around his '_relationship_' with Blaine or the problems that could arise in the future. All he knew in those moments before he fell asleep was the absolute bliss of lying there with Blaine.

When Kurt awoke, it was dark outside. The street light near their house was the only thing illuminating his room. He yawned and craned his neck to see the time displayed on his alarm clock sitting on his night table. It was just past midnight. He hadn't done any of his homework and now it was the middle of the night. Blaine had moved so that his whole torso was on top of Kurt and one of his legs was hooked over Kurt's legs. His even breathing and relaxed body told Kurt that he was still very much asleep.

With a sigh, Kurt slowly shimmied out from under Blaine. He pressed one of his pillows into Blaine's arms when the boy began to reach for him in his sleep and pulled the blankets over him. Kurt then changed into his pyjamas and sat down at his desk. He turned on his desk lamp, making sure to angle it so it wasn't shining too brightly in Blaine's direction. He really needed to get his homework done, no matter how comfortable and inviting the combination of his bed and Blaine's arms were.

There was a soft knock on his bedroom door a few minutes later. He stood and tiptoed to his door, not wanting to disturb Blaine.

"Hey kid, you still up?" asked Burt, opening the door just as Kurt reached it.

"Homework," answered Kurt simply with a small shrug.

"Finn says Blaine's got a black eye," started Burt, taking a step into the room. His eyes immediately landed on Blaine's sleeping form in Kurt's bed. "Oh, he's in here."

"Uh, yeah," stuttered Kurt. "He fell asleep on my bed and I didn't want to bother him because of his sore eye. I didn't think he had a concussion or anything, so, I thought it'd be okay to let him sleep."

"He's probably fine if it was just an elbow to the eye," reassured Burt, but he was giving Kurt a strange look, as if he were trying to see into him and decipher the truth.

"It was pretty hard," conceded Kurt, biting his lower lip.

"Should probably wake him up and get him into his own bed, now, anyway," said Burt, still giving Kurt that strange look. "We can make sure he's alright once he's awake."

"Uh, yeah, okay," replied Kurt, feeling nervous under his father's eyes.

"Unless there's any reason why he should stay in here," added Burt, adding a raised eyebrow to his disconcerting expression.

"No," Kurt was quick to respond. "No, why would there be any reason? His bed's in Finn's room."

"Alright then," spoke Burt, with a resolved nod of his head.

He walked across Kurt's bedroom and put his hands on Blaine's shoulders. Kurt bit his lip again as he nervously waited for Blaine's reaction to his father waking him up. He replayed the short conversation with his dad in his mind and began to wonder about the lack of surprise in his father's face and voice when he noticed Blaine on Kurt's bed. Had his father come in while they were both asleep? What had been his motive in coming to Kurt's room just now?

Blaine grumbled as he was gently shaken from his sleep. He grabbed onto the pillow that undoubtedly smelled like Kurt and burrowed his face deeper in it. Finally, though, he started to come to his senses and realized that Burt was shaking him awake. He opened his good eye and gave him a tired look before sitting up.

"Time to head to your own bed," spoke Burt, his voice gruff but his tone soft.

Blaine reluctantly crawled out of Kurt's bed, flashing a frown in Kurt's direction when he spotted him standing by his desk.

"Kurt, turn that lamp this way," demanded Burt.

Burt took Blaine's chin in his hand and held his face up at an awkward angle so he could get a good look at his injured eye. Blaine looked uncomfortable but didn't fuss. Burt examined his face for a few moments before letting go of Blaine's chin, seeming satisfied.

"That's a good shiner you've got there, Blainers," commented Burt with a nod, before turning to look at Kurt. "But he seems fine; probably just has a nasty headache and a sore face."

"We need to buy some children's Tylenol or something," replied Kurt, nodding. "I tried to give him some regular Tylenol earlier but he didn't quite get the concept of swallowing _without_ chewing it."

Burt chuckled softly as he ushered Blaine toward the bedroom door that now stood ajar with the dark hallway beyond.

"I'm going to take Blaine to the shop with me tomorrow," he informed Kurt. "I figure since it was your idea, you can be the one who gets up early in the morning to help him get ready."

"You don't want to wait until the weekend so I can come in too?" asked Kurt.

"It's me he's gonna have to learn to work for," replied Burt. He paused for a moment as if debating as to whether he should say anything more. "I don't know what's going on with you two lately, Kurt. Only a week or two ago you couldn't stand his presence, and now all you want to do is take care of him. He'll be fine."

Kurt nodded, swallowing the lump of anxiety forming in his throat.

"You'll have him ready for to go by seven?" asked Burt.

"Yes," replied Kurt, nodding again.

"Alright," said Burt, before moving to usher Blaine out of the room. "Get that homework done and then go to bed. It is much too late for you to be up on a school night."

"G'night Dad," said Kurt with a weak smile.

"Good night, Kurt," replied Burt before disappearing into the hall with Blaine, closing Kurt's bedroom door behind him.

It was early the next morning and Kurt was sitting at his dressing table rubbing moisturizer into his face when a soft knock sounded at his door. It wasn't the average 'knock, knock' that one would expect, but a single, timid knock.

"Come in," called Kurt, pausing from rubbing the lotion into his cheeks.

The door opened and Blaine took a few tentative steps in, closing the door behind him. Kurt quickly finished with his lotion, recapping the container before standing. It was unusual for Kurt to be up and out of bed that early. His alarm clock wasn't set to start beeping for at least another half hour, but he had gotten up early because of his father's request the night before.

"Hi," he said, not able to keep the breathlessness out of his voice and suddenly wondering where _that_ had come from. "I was going to come wake you in a few minutes."

Blaine smiled a little. The purple circle around his eye looked dark and painful that morning causing Kurt to grimace at the sight. He moved to stand directly in front of Blaine, touching his eye gently with his fingertip. Blaine winced.

"Sorry," whispered Kurt.

He snaked his arms around Blaine's shoulders and pressed in to him for a tight hug. The curly haired boy let out a soft sigh and hugged him back. They stood that way for a few moments before Kurt finally broke the embrace.

"We need to get you ready," he said with a smile as he pulled away from Blaine's warmth. "You're going to go to work with my dad today."

Kurt stepped around Blaine to head to his bedroom door.

"You wait here," he said, opening the door. "I'll go get some of your clothes."

When Kurt returned with a change of clothes for Blaine, he found the boy sitting on his bed holding one of his pillows. Setting the clothes down on the foot of the bed, Kurt moved to sit down next to Blaine.

"I wish you could have slept here the whole night, too," he whispered, tucking a particularly long curl behind Blaine's ear. "It was so nice falling asleep with you like that."

Suppressing the urge to lean in and capture Blaine's sweet lips with his own, Kurt patted Blaine's knee in a friendly gesture before getting back up off the bed. He picked up the clothes and handed them to Blaine.

"You need to get dressed and then we need to do something with that mess of hair on the top of your head," he informed Blaine before turning to look through his closet for his own clothing to wear that day.

Kurt was pulling out a few articles of clothing from his closet that he had deemed appropriate for his Thursday ensemble when Blaine finished getting dressed. Laying his chosen clothes down on his bed with care, Kurt turned to direct Blaine to sit at his dressing table. Once Blaine was seated, Kurt began working through his messy curls. Blaine grumbled and squirmed in the seat.

"Don't fidget, Blaine," warned Kurt as he worked. "You're acting like a child!"

Soon Kurt was finished with Blaine's hair and let the fidgety boy free.

"Let's go downstairs," said Kurt. "I'll make you and dad breakfast before I take my shower. You two have to leave for work soon. Carole has a night shift tonight so she's sleeping in this morning."

Blaine followed Kurt down the stairs and into the kitchen. Kurt was quick to pull out a frying pan, a jug of milk and a carton of eggs. He turned on one of the stovetop elements before turning to grab some cooking oil from the nearby cupboard. Blaine sat down on one of the stools at the counter.

"Even though he's supposed to being eating only heart-healthy meals," spoke Kurt as he began cracking eggs into the frying pan. "Dad refuses to give up his scrambled eggs."

"That's because they are delicious and good for you," came Burt's voice from the entry a moment after the creak of the front door. He appeared in the kitchen a moment later. "They've got lots of protein and they give you energy for a long day at the shop."

Kurt simply rolled his eyes before pouring a little bit of milk into the frying pan to mix into the eggs. Burt shuffled past him carrying a pair of blue overalls.

"I found some overalls in the garage that I think will fit Blaine," said Burt moving to drape them over the chair back next to Blaine. "He'll need to try them on."

"Sure," replied Kurt with a nod.

"Alright," said Burt, patting Blaine on the shoulder before moving to leave the room. "I'm going to go shave."

"Breakfast will be ready when you're done," called Kurt from the stovetop. Kurt turned to look across the small kitchen at Blaine. "I guess I should have had you shave, too. Your face is all stubbly."

Seeing Kurt address him, Blaine stood up from the chair and crossed the distance between them. Kurt smiled softly at him and ran his finger tips over the boy's scratchy jaw.

"It's cute on you, though," whispered Kurt, his smile growing at Blaine's proximity.

Turning back to moving the eggs around the frying pan, Kurt grinned to himself when he felt Blaine's arms snake around his waist from behind. Blaine hooked his chin over Kurt's shoulder and gave him a tight squeeze before letting out a small sigh. Thrilled by the sheer domesticity of it, Kurt couldn't help but let his mind wander to the what-if's of taking Blaine with him when he moved away to New York.

Soon the eggs were done and Kurt had to elbow Blaine lightly to get him to back away so he could move. He moved the frying pan to a knitted pot holder on the kitchen counter, putting a lid on it to keep the heat in. Then he went to the refrigerator and pulled out some fruit to quickly make a fruit salad. If his father was going to eat eggs, then he was going to eat fruit right alongside them.

Blaine kept trying to get a hold of Kurt again while he moved across the room getting the rest of breakfast ready. Kurt laughed lightly and slapped Blaine's hands away before finally getting (sort of) fed up with him and demanding he take his former seat at the counter. Kurt was just setting out plates and cutlery for Blaine and Burt when a freshly shaven Burt came back into the room.

"Smells good, Kiddo," praised Burt sitting down next to Blaine on one of the stools.

"Make sure to eat as much fruit as you do eggs," said Kurt, giving his father a meaningful look. "I have to go get dressed and ready for school."

"Alright, thanks a lot, Kurt," answered Burt, staring hungrily at the scrambled eggs.

Kurt just rolled his eyes at his dad before leaving the room. Blaine tensed at Kurt's absence but seemed to relax a little when Burt began filling his plate with food.

"I'm not sure how we're gonna survive the day, Blainers," said Burt as he began filling his own plate up with food, too. "Somehow we're going to have to figure out how to communicate."

Blaine cocked his head to the side at Burt's words looking at him thoughtfully. The movement caused Burt to chuckle softly and clap the boy on the back before he turned to his food.

Kurt was disappointed when he came back downstairs after a getting dressed. His dad and Blaine had already left for work. He knew they had to leave by seven, but he had hoped he would catch them before they left. He couldn't help the nervous flip flop of his stomach at the prospect of Blaine spending the day at the shop. Could Blaine handle it there? Would Burt get frustrated with him and bring him home early? Would Blaine get confused and upset and have no one to console him? What if Blaine got hurt? Kurt was beginning to regret having brought up the idea with his dad at all.

He cleaned up the dirty dishes left behind from Burt and Blaine's breakfast before sitting down to eat the leftovers of the fruit salad that both Burt _and_ Blaine had obviously only picked at. Kurt shook his head and rolled his eyes, _men_. The irony of that wasn't lost on him but he chose to ignore it in favour of wallowing in his worries.

Soon, Finn came thundering down the stairs and into the kitchen and instantly moved to the cupboard over the refrigerator where the boxes of cereal were stored. He pulled out a bright red box with a large cartoon character on the front holding a spoonful of artificially coloured and flavoured sugary bits. Kurt grimaced at the thought of Finn ingesting such horrendous garbage on a daily basis before turning his attention back to the bowl of fruit in front of him.

"Morning," said Finn, pouring himself a large bowl of the cereal. "Where'd Blaine go?"

"Dad took him to work with him today," informed Kurt before taking another bite of his fruit.

"I wonder how that'll go," mused Finn as he poured milk into his cereal.

"Hopefully well," replied Kurt softly.

"Are you driving me to school today?" asked Finn between mouthfuls of his cereal as he moved to sit on the stool next to Kurt.

"You could at least wait until you're seated before stuffing that sugar garbage into your mouth," objected Kurt, giving Finn a look of distaste. He took another bite of his fruit salad, chewing it delicately and swallowing before answering Finn's question. "Of course I can drive you to school today. I always do, don't I?"

"Except for when you sleep in," replied Finn, raising his hands to put air quotations around the words 'sleep in' as he spoke them.

Kurt gave Finn a dangerous look, "What do you mean by that?"

"Uhh, nothing," stammered Finn, realizing what he had done. "I dunno."

"Mmkay," responded Kurt deciding it would be better not to press for the explanation that he really didn't want to hear.

They finished their breakfasts at the same time, despite the fact that Kurt started before Finn and Finn had a much larger one. Grabbing their bags, they both left the house, Finn making sure to lock the front door, and got into Kurt's waiting Navigator.

"Puck's having a Halloween party this year," commented Finn as he flipped through radio stations while Kurt backed out of the driveway.

"Sounds _amazing_," replied Kurt, voice dripping with sarcasm.

"It could be fun," countered Finn with a shrug of his shoulders.

They parted company when they reached the school and left Kurt's Navigator parked in the parking lot. Kurt was quick to dash into the school, avoiding the group of jocks standing around the dumpsters. Mercedes was waiting at his locker when he reached it.

"Morning," he greeted her, flashing her a bright, albeit closed-mouthed, smile.

"How's my baby?" she asked instead of fussing with a greeting.

Kurt moved past her and worked the combination on his lock before opening his locker.

"He's fine," replied Kurt, knowing she was referring to Blaine. "Bruised but fine."

"He's such a sweetie," sighed Mercedes. "Standing up to Dave for you."

"Yeah, well, it made everything a lot more complicated," countered Kurt, sorting through his text books to get ready for his first class. "Now Finn knows about the incident and he and I had to tell dad that Blaine got the black eye from Finn on accident when they were playing tackle football. Not to mention this is gossip gold and as nice as Tina is..."

"She won't tell," cut in Mercedes, giving Kurt a reassuring smile.

"Well, what if Dave and his idiot friends say something?" asked Kurt, his stress showing in worry lines on his face.

"Calm down, Kurt," sighed Mercedes, patting him on the shoulder. "What do you always say about getting wrinkles?"

Kurt forced himself to take a few deep breaths.

"That's better," said Mercedes with a smile. "Why are you freaking out about this so much, anyway? So Blaine has a crush on you, so what? Sure, it's a little uncomfortable for you and maybe a little strange, but it's all innocent."

His friend lifted her eyebrow when Kurt bit his lip.

"Oh my..." she exhaled. "You've gotta spill like yesterday!"

Kurt sighed and closed his locker door before turning to Mercedes.

"Define innocent."


	9. Chapter 9

**Title:** Man's Best Friend  
><strong>Pairings<strong>: Kurt/Blaine  
><strong>Rating<strong>: R  
><strong>Warnings:<strong> Pet!Blaine and all that entails  
><strong>Note<strong>: This story is a fill for a prompt at the Glee **Kink** Meme on livejournal.

* * *

><p><em>Chapter Nine<br>_

* * *

><p>Blaine wasn't waiting for them when Kurt and Finn arrived home from school that afternoon. Even though it had been at the forefront of Kurt's mind for most of the day, it took him a few moments to remember why. Finn kicked off his shoes and dropped his backpack in the entry and was quick to plop down on the living room couch to watch TV. Annoyed, Kurt picked up Finn's backpack and carried it upstairs to Finn's room mumbling something about there being <em>no point in having someone trip over it in the small entry<em> as he went. Kurt then went to his room and dropped down onto his bed. He idly thought about his homework for a few minutes before deciding instead to flip through his magazines and listen to his iPod.

He must have fallen asleep at some point because the sound of the front door closing roused him from his sleep just over an hour later. Kurt blinked awake but didn't move. He stayed lying across his bed for a few minutes just relishing the peaceful feeling of being barely awake; enjoying how his limbs felt heavy with all his muscles relaxed. He was vaguely aware of the soft sound of footsteps on stairs and his bedroom door being pushed open.

He yawned and stretched lazily when the scent of motor oil and exhaust reached his nose. The bed dipped next to him and Kurt rolled over to face whoever had come into his room, although he was pretty certain he already knew who it was. He smiled sleepily when his eyes found the familiar honey hazel ones peering back at him.

"Blaine," he sighed, stretching again and moving to get up.

The boy put his hand on Kurt's chest, stopping him from sitting and instead pushing him back down on the bed. Kurt's eyes widened but he complied. Smiling softly down at Kurt, Blaine moved to lay down next to him and cuddle into his side.

"Mmm," hummed Kurt as he moved to snuggle his face into Blaine's neck, breathing in the familiar scent of his dad's shop mixed with the delicious smell of _Blaine_.

Blaine let out a soft sigh and rolled onto his side so that he could wrap his arms around Kurt and snug even closer to him -if it was possible to snuggle closer at that point. Smiling, Kurt allowed Blaine to hold him for a few minutes.

Finally, though, Kurt pushed himself up and out of Blaine's arms.

"You need a shower," he said matter-of-factly, taking in Blaine's appearance for the first time since the curly-haired boy had come in. Kurt idly drew circles on his bicep with his fingertip as he continued. "Your face is dirty and your hair is greasy and you smell like my dad's auto shop. If you hadn't been wearing coveralls at work, I would be having a heart attack from you lying on my bed in your work clothes."

Blaine watched Kurt's finger move across his arm before moving to grab it. He spread Kurt's hand in his own before raising it to his lips and mouthing over his knuckles. Kurt gasped softly at the gesture. His heart sped up and his eyelids grew heavy as he watched Blaine sensually caress his fingers with his soft lips.

"Nuughhhh, _Blaine_," exhaled Kurt before sucking in another deep breath.

He reached to cup Blaine's cheek with his free hand. Blaine lowered Kurt's hand from his lips in anticipation as Kurt leaned in to press their lips together. Blaine groaned and pressed forward into the kiss, opening his mouth to grant Kurt's tongue access to his mouth. Kurt licked into his mouth enthusiastically, pressing back just as much as Blaine pressed forward.

A knock at the door moments later had Kurt pulling sharply back from Blaine and almost tumbling off the bed. Thankful that Blaine had shut the door behind him when he had come in and that his family knew to knock before entering his room, Kurt quickly straightened his shirt and tried to fix his hair before opening his door a crack. He sighed in relief when he saw Finn standing on the other side, glad it wasn't his father.

"What do you want, Finn?" asked Kurt not opening the door further than a foot.

"Burt wants to know if you're making dinner tonight or if we should order something," said Finn, suspicious as to what Kurt might be hiding and trying to peer past him.

"We still have leftovers in the fridge from the other night," informed Kurt, adjusting his stance to better block Finn's view.

"I hate leftovers," whined Finn. "Can't we just give them to Blaine?"

Kurt clenched his jaw but knew he was in no position to be starting another argument over Blaine. He was using the door to hide the erection in his pants and twisting his torso in hopes that he was blocking Finn's view of Blaine on his bed behind him. It was best to just get rid of Finn.

"If you refuse to eat the leftovers, then fine, order something," grit out Kurt before pushing the door shut.

"Wait!" started Finn, pushing at the door.

"What?" snapped Kurt.

"What do you want for supper? Pizza, Chinese, La..." began Finn before getting cut off by Kurt.

"I don't care, whatever you and dad want," barked Kurt as he pushed the door shut before Finn could stop him again.

Closing his eyes, Kurt leaned back against the door once it was shut and exhaled in relief of being rid of Finn. Once he heard Finn's footsteps descend the stairs, he opened his eyes and immediately focused on Blaine who was lounging on his bed and watching his curiously.

"You!" hissed Kurt, lunging forward from the door. "You are going to get me in deep shit one of these days."

Startled, Blaine retreated a few inches as Kurt reached the bed. He winced when Kurt reached for him and grabbed onto the collar of his polo t-shirt. But then Kurt was pulling him forward by it and crashing his lips against Blaine's. Blaine whimpered and frantically tried to keep up with the fervent and passionate kiss as Kurt pressed him backward into the pillows of his bed.

When Kurt released Blaine's lips from his searing kiss of tongue and teeth to take a breath, Blaine was finally able to catch up to the situation. Suddenly, he was growling in the back of his throat and flipping Kurt over to gain dominance. He began nipping and sucking at Kurt's neck while rutting himself against Kurt's hips.

"We shouldn't be doing this," groaned out Kurt in guttural words spoken just above a whisper. "**_I_**shouldn't be letting us do this."

Blaine just grunted in response as he ground himself into Kurt. Gasping, Kurt let his legs fall open wide so he and Blaine could make better contact. He began to thrust up into Blaine every time the curly haired boy rocked down and for a few minutes they quietly rocked together nothing to be heard but their heavy breathing and a few low moans and groans.

Latching onto Kurt's neck like a leech, Blaine sucked hard on the soft skin at the side of his throat as he rocked closer and closer to the edge. Somehow, they managed to reach their climaxes together, coming with barely held back cries of ecstasy. Blaine let his weight fall down onto Kurt as they slowly drifted down from their high. He laid his head on Kurt's collarbone as they both fought to catch their breaths.

"We just did that," whispered Kurt, his voice a mixture of awe and trepidation.

"Kuuurrrr..." sighed out Blaine moving to nuzzle his nose into Kurt's neck.

Kurt tensed under him. It almost sounded like Blaine had said his name. It came out in a purring exhale, but it definitely had the 'k' sound at the beginning of it. Pursing his lips thoughtfully, Kurt stared up at the ceiling and absentmindedly began running his fingers through Blaine's hair.

There was definitely more to Blaine than everyone gave him credit for. Suddenly, Kurt found himself wanting more than anything to ask his dad how the day with Blaine at the shop had went. He desperately hoped it had gone well and that Blaine had pleasantly surprised his dad.

After getting Blaine set up for a shower and his own clothes changed, Kurt trotted downstairs to find his father in the living room relaxing in front of the television after his day at work. Kurt sat down beside his dad on the couch. Burt turned to regard Kurt and his eyes instantly widened.

"What's that on your neck?" he asked, staring at Kurt incredulously.

Shocked at the look on his father's face, Kurt sat silently for what seemed like forever but was barely a millisecond. Head reeling, his mind flashed back to earlier when Blaine had latched onto his neck while rutting against him until coming. He wasn't sure it was possible, but he felt the blood run out of his face while his cheeks simultaneously heated.

"Locker slam," he managed to say in a relatively normal voice.

Burt lifted an eyebrow accusingly, obviously the source of Kurt's own '_bitch please_' looks.

"It looks more like a hickey," he said matter-of-factly.

"Yes, because there is an infinite number of boys lined up at our doorstep in hopes of getting the honor to suck my neck," answered Kurt sharply.

He rolled his eyes when his dad turned to glance out the living room window. Burt turned back to Kurt, realizing his muscle response had been ridiculous. He hummed softly and leaned back on the couch next to Kurt.

"So, these locker slams," he started, obviously attempting for a neutral sounding voice. "They happen a lot?"

"A few times a week," replied Kurt with a nod. He really didn't want to tell his dad this, but it was a good distraction from the obviously-a-hickey on the side of his neck.

"When did they start?" asked Burt with a sigh.

"I don't remember," was Kurt's only answer as he shrugged.

"So, you're telling me that you get thrown against lockers on a weekly, sometimes daily, basis and it has been happening for as long as you can remember?" asked Burt turning sharply to stare at Kurt as his voice rose. "And you haven't said anything to me about it?"

"What would you have done if I had told you sooner?" asked Kurt. "Quit your job so you would have time to walk me from class to class during school days? There's nothing you can do about it, Dad. I just have one more year of it and then I'll be out of this homophobic town. So, don't worry about it, okay?"

Burt grunted. Kurt rolled his eyes and let out a frustrated sigh.

"I came down here to ask you how everything went with Blaine," said Kurt, bumping his shoulder into Burt's to get the attention of his now pouting father.

"Oh," replied Burt.

"That bad?" asked Kurt, anxious.

"Well, we had no incidents," said Burt with a shrug.

"Well," responded Kurt, slowly. "That's a good thing."

"I just don't know how to teach him how to do anything, Kurt," sighed Burt. "I know you really want this to work, but I just have no idea how. I don't even know what jobs to give him, let alone tell him how to do them."

Kurt nodded sympathetically. I _would_ be hard. He knew, though, that a lot of adult pets were used for tasking. There had to be a way to teach Blaine.

"He was pretty confused at being there," continued Burt after some silence. "I think he was overwhelmed by the place."

"What if," started Kurt, timidly. "What if Blaine and I came with you to work on Saturday? Then you can just tell me what he needs to do and I can help him. That way you won't have to waste all your time watching him and if we are just in the way, I can take Blaine home."

"You hate spending your weekends in the shop," commented Burt in disbelief.

"It's just one day," replied Kurt with a shrug.

Burt gave him a funny look but was distracted when the doorbell rang.

"Must be your long line of admirers," said Burt, giving Kurt a wink as he stood to go answer the door.

Kurt's hand shot to his neck, it was a good thing his dad's back was already turned to him as the man left the room. Burt reappeared a few minutes later with three boxes of pizza in his arms. As if he had a sixth sense about food, Finn appeared shortly thereafter ready to eat the pizza.

"Did you get me a..." started Kurt, as his eyes scanned the boxes.

"Vegetarian with mozza cheese," cut in Finn, handing Kurt the box and looking at it like it was made of poison while doing so.

"Where's Blaine?" he asked while pulling open the lid of another box to reveal a meatlovers with extra cheddar. "He'll wanna get in on this."

"I thought all _he_ was going to get were last night's _leftovers_," stated Kurt, angrily.

"Kurt," started Finn, his voice level but his eyes angry. "Stop being so defensive about him! Literally every time I say anything about Blaine you jump down my throat and I'm sick of it. I _like_ Blaine. I was the one who wanted to get a pet in the first place. _You're_ the one who hated him up until recently. You were the one who was always yelling at... Whoa, dude, is that a hickey?"

_Shit._

"No, Finn," replied Kurt, rolling his eyes and acting annoyed to hide his panic. "It happens to be a mark left over from getting slammed into the lockers this afternoon, no thanks to you."

"What part of the locker would make a mouth-shaped mark?" asked Finn, completely unfazed by Kurt's tone.

"I know that you know just how well-acquainted with the lockers at our school I am," started Kurt, hoping to guilt Finn out of his line of thought. "But even if I am an expert at retaining marks and bruises from them, I don't normally spend a lot of time studying them to figure out which parts cause which marks. Usually, I have more pressing matters such as trying to pick up all my books before they get stepped on by everyone else in the hallway who doesn't give a damn about the gay kid getting bullied."

Kurt could hear his father's teeth grind as he spoke and though his speech made him feel infinitely guilty for letting his father in on what he had been working so hard to protect him from, he couldn't help but feel a little satisfied by the sudden lack of colour in Finn's face.

"I'm sorry, Kurt," replied Finn in a hoarse half-whisper after a long, heavy silence.

"Yeah, well," snapped Kurt, but he didn't have words to follow it up with, so instead he let out a sigh and picked up the pizza box. "I'm just going to go eat in my room, unless you have any more locker-related questions."

Finn quickly shook his head, but Burt was quick to move to Kurt's side and place a heavy hand on his shoulder.

"Kurt," he said, his voice emotion filled and the single word something of a question and a promise.

"Please don't, Dad," stammered Kurt, his voice suddenly filling with similar emotion. "Just... just don't, okay?"

Burt swallowed heavily and removed his hand. Raising his chin a little, Kurt moved quickly to leave the room and awkward situation he had just created. Tears were flooding his eyes as he stumbled up the stairs to his bedroom. He ran into Blaine in the hallway as he all but ran to his room. Blaine grabbed onto Kurt's shoulders to steady them both, looking into Kurt's eyes with concern. A small sob escaped Kurt's mouth and quickly Blaine's arms were moving to encircle him, to hold him close against his bare, damp chest.

Exhaling heavily, Kurt burrowed his face into him as Blaine moved them toward Kurt's room. He moved one of his arms from holding Kurt to open the door and once they were through it, he shut it behind them. It was awkward moving together while Blaine held Kurt, but at the moment there was nothing that could make Kurt leave Blaine's arms. Once they were seated, Kurt climbed into Blaine's lap, curling up into himself and letting Blaine hold him. Blaine rocked them silently, pressing his face into the side of Kurt's head.

"Everything's a mess," choked out Kurt after a few moments of soft sobbing. "_I'm_ a mess. Why do I do the things I do? Why do I say the things I say? Why can't I just... I don't know."

Blaine pushed Kurt back so that he could look into his eyes. Despite wanting to just curl back into Blaine and pretend to not exist, Kurt managed to hold Blaine's honey gave with his own tearful eyes. The curly-haired boy just smiled softly at him and gently wiped the tears from his with his fingertips. Kurt smiled despite himself before leaning his head into the crook of Blaine's neck and heaving a shaky sigh. As long as he had Blaine to hold him, it didn't matter how many times he screwed up or how many times he got hurt.

Having finally calmed down from his emotional fall, Kurt was suddenly very aware of the fact that he was curled up in Blaine's towel-clad lap and it was likely that Finn or his dad would be up to check on him after giving him his space for a short time. So, though he really didn't want to, Kurt crawled out of Blaine's lap and put a little space between them.

"You should go get dressed," he managed to say, his voice raspy from crying.

It was obvious that Blaine understood what Kurt had instructed him to do, but was hesitant to leave Kurt on his own even if just for a few minutes.

"Come back when you're dressed," said Kurt pushing lightly on Blaine's bare back to get him to go. "I'll be okay, Baby."

Kurt's eyes widened the moment the endearment was out of his mouth. He must just be spending too much time with Mercedes and her lingo was rubbing off on him. Blaine turned and touched Kurt's cheek affectionately before getting up to leave. For once, Kurt was thankful that Blaine didn't have the full comprehension of the average person and hadn't caught on to the whole 'baby' thing. _What _was going on with Kurt lately? Baby? BABY? _Really_?

"Oh lord," whispered Kurt looking up at the ceiling and berating himself.

He shakily got up off his bed and put a DVD on; there was no way he was going to be able to focus on homework right then. Wiping his face with his sleeve to get rid of any remnants of moisture, he settled back down on his bed, leaning back against his headboard. Seeing the pizza box left forgotten on the foot of his bed, he reached for it and pulled it up on his lap. Normally, he wouldn't eat such a greasy food item in his room, especially not on his bed and _definitely_ not straight out of the box, but... well... desperate times.

His bedroom door opened and Blaine came back in, now fully dressed. Of course, it was best that Blaine was dressed, but Kurt couldn't help but be a little disappointed at the lack of visible olive skin. He smiled across the room at Blaine and patted the space on the bed next to him. At the invitation, Blaine moved to situate himself next to Kurt. Spying the pizza, he perked and gave Kurt a hopeful look.

"Yes," laughed Kurt. "You can have some."


	10. Chapter 10

**Title:** Man's Best Friend  
><strong>Pairings<strong>: Kurt/Blaine  
><strong>Rating<strong>: R  
><strong>Warnings:<strong> Pet!Blaine and all that entails  
><strong>Note<strong>: This story is a fill for a prompt at the Glee **Kink** Meme on livejournal.

* * *

><p><em>Chapter Ten<br>_

* * *

><p>After having eaten his fill of pizza, Blaine had moved to lying curled up next to Kurt with his head resting on his thigh. It was a position Kurt often found Blaine in, whether it be on his lap or some other family members', but for some reason it felt different this time. He gently ran his fingers through Blaine's hair as he tried to allow his mind to go blank while he watched the show.<p>

A soft 'knock, knock' on his door about halfway into the movie had him turning his head, his hand stilling in Blaine's curls. He had been expecting someone to come after his little scene downstairs, so it wasn't much of a surprise.

"Come in," he called out.

Finn pushed the door open and gingerly stepped into the room, his face was the very definition of guilty.

"Hey Kurt," he said quietly. "Can we talk?"

"Sure, Finn," replied Kurt, picking up the remote to mute the movie.

Crossing the room, Finn sat down on the bed on the opposite side of Kurt as Blaine. They sat in silence for a few moments even after Finn had settled on the bed, leaning against the headboard the same way Kurt was. Blaine stiffened at Finn's presence.

"I'm a terrible brother," exclaimed Finn once the silence had stretched on long enough.

"What?" stammered Kurt.

"Everyone in glee club sucks," continued Finn, his voice starting to tremble with emotion. "We know your history with bullying, we see it happening to you in the hallways every day, and we just act like it's just a thing that happens. It sucks and I hate that it happens, but I don't do anything about it. I try not to think about it because it sucks. But you can't just try not to think about it cuz it is happening to you. You have to wake up every morning and go to that crappy school every day and deal with it. We suck for not getting that. I'm the worst because I'm your brother, Kurt! I'm your brother and I don't do anything about it! I'm supposed to have your back and..."

"Finn," spoke Kurt, placing his hand on Finn's knee.

That single word somehow held so much meaning when he said it that way. At some point during his little spiel, Finn had scrunched his eyes shut and thrown his head back against the bed's headboard. He opened his eyes and turned to look at him when Kurt said his name.

"Please don't beat yourself up about this, Finn," pleaded Kurt, trying to smile. "I'm sorry I freaked out downstairs."

At some point during the exchange, Blaine had sat up and pressed into Kurt's side.

"I don't want bodyguards, Finn, I want friends," continued Kurt. "And I have those, in you and the rest of glee club."

"Okay," sighed Finn, still looking rather dejected. "If you ever need anything, though, Kurt..."

"I know," Kurt replied immediately, smiling warmly at his step-brother.

Finn managed to smile too before reaching to give Kurt a one-armed hug. Something that sounded like a mix between a throat being cleared and a quiet growl reached Kurt and Finn's ears in that moment. Finn pulled back to notice Blaine glaring daggers at him from Kurt's other side. Not taking his eyes from Finn's, Blaine wrapped his arms around Kurt's waist and pulled him across the bed a few inches toward himself.

"Blaine," choked out Kurt in surprise. "What the hell?"

"Kurt," spoke Finn, his voice soft but urgent. "He looks like he wants to murder me."

"Blaine, knock it off," demanded Kurt as Blaine's arms grew even tighter around his waist. "What's the matter with you, it's just Finn."

The curly haired boy finally broke eye contact, causing Finn to exhale a large breath he hadn't known he was holding. But then Blaine was moving again, throwing a leg over Kurt's legs and moving to straddle him. He brought his arms up Kurt's sides, never letting go from his possessive hold of Kurt, and curved them behind Kurt's back up over to wrap around his neck. Pressing his cheek into Kurt's collar bone, Blaine looked back over at Finn and gave him a self-satisfied smirk.

"He thinks you're his," stammered Finn, suddenly. "Why would he think that, Kurt?"

Silence.

"Kurt?" questioned Finn when he didn't get a response the first time.

More silence.

"Kurt," started Finn again. "I'm getting freaked out and Blaine's giving me these looks. I'm going to call Burt."

"NO," exclaimed Kurt.

Finn startled at Kurt's outburst.

"Calm down, he's not going to hurt anyone," said Kurt a little more calmly.

A small sigh of resignation escaped Kurt's lips. This was it; he couldn't keep lying especially with how things were escalating between Blaine and him. They would have gotten caught sooner or later, and the whole lying about it thing really wasn't working so well. Perhaps Finn wouldn't tell his dad. Perhaps Finn would keep it a secret. He could hope, right?

Slowly, Kurt brought his own arms up and wrapped them around Blaine's back. The moment he was returning Blaine's embrace, the possessive boy relaxed. Obviously not caring that Finn could see, Blaine snuggled his face into the crook of Kurt's neck and let out a happy sigh.

"Kurt?" came Finn's questioning voice again, this time it was even more choked up and nervous than before.

Kurt turned his head to look at Finn in response. Finn's face was pale and his hands were clenched at his sides.

"That actually is hickey isn't it?" he asked, his voice trembling.

For some reason Kurt couldn't find his voice so he simply nodded his head slowly. Finn closed his eyes for a few moments, allowing the information to sink in. Then suddenly he was jumping to his feet, falling to the floor when his foot got tangled in the bedding. Kurt's eyes widened at the loud thud, but Finn was up again in a flash. He paced up and down Kurt's room grabbing at his hair like he hoped to rip it from his skull.

"Why?" asked Finn, stopping from his facing to stare at Kurt.

"I... I..." stammered Kurt. "I can't answer that. I... I don't know."

"This is why you've both been acting so weird lately," declared Finn, suddenly, as if the puzzle pieces were all falling together for him. "This is why you..."

"Please don't tell anyone," Kurt suddenly exclaimed, his tone and facial expression pleading.

"Kurt, this is messed up," replied Finn incredulously. "You can't seriously think this is okay."

"What do you want me to do, Finn?" cried out Kurt, causing Blaine's grip on him to tighten. "Stop feeling the things I'm feeling?"

"I don't know!" bellowed Finn, sitting down heavily on Kurt's desk chair. "I don't know," he whispered, grabbing handfuls of his hair.

"I know this isn't normal or healthy or... anything!" conceded Kurt, his voice trembling with emotion as tears came to his eyes. "That's why I've been fighting it. But, Finn, I don't want to fight it anymore. I don't want to fight it."

Finn peeked up from where he was holding his head in his hands just in time to see Blaine leaning back from Kurt and wiping his tearful eyes with his thumbs before leaning in to kiss him. Dumbstruck, Finn dropped his head back into his hands and tried to focus on regulating his breathing.

"I just, I go to school and I get shit from everyone, and I have friends but I'm still lonely, you know?" spoke Kurt through soft sobs. "You guys all have someone. You have Rachel, Tina has Mike, and Mercedes has Shane even though she should be with Sam. I have no one and I'm not going to have anyone for a long time because there is no one. And then I come home from a bad day at school and he's waiting for me and so happy to see me. He can tell when I'm upset and he tries to make me feel better. He tries to protect me. He smiles differently at me than he does for anyone else. I know it's weird and maybe even wrong, but we care about each other."

Finn chanced another look up this time to see Kurt leaning his forehead on Blaine's shoulder while Blaine held him tight and stroked his back. Letting out a shaky sigh, Finn got to his feet and moved toward Kurt's door.

"I won't," started Finn stopping when he reached Kurt's door. "I won't tell."

"Thank you," replied Kurt in a soft voice that was barely above a whisper.

Taking a deep breath, Finn nodded before pulling open the door and leaving, closing it softly behind him.

The silence in the vehicle on the drive to school the next morning was deafening. Kurt was hyper aware of every movement Finn made, every exhale, every uncomfortable shift in his seat. For some reason, even though the quiet was uncomfortable to say the least, neither seemed in a hurry to end it by saying something nor even by merely turning on the radio.

"Stop it," Kurt finally said as they neared the school.

"What?" stammered Finn in surprise.

"I can practically feel you judging me right now," explained Kurt, not taking his eyes off the road.

"I'm not... I'm... I'm not judging you, Kurt," replied Finn, clenching his hands anxiously in his lap. "I'm just confused, okay?"

"You think _you're_ confused, imagine how I feel," replied Kurt softly, still staring ahead as he turned the vehicle into the school's parking lot.

Kurt had a hard time concentrating in class, fears about whether Finn would be successful at keeping the secret flowing through his mind. When he did get breaks from those thoughts, he mind quickly went to wondering about Saturday at the shop. He worried about how obvious Blaine would be with him in front of his dad and his dad's employees and whether or not he could help Blaine learn anything that would allow him to work there. Before Kurt knew it, it was lunch and he hadn't taken in a single lesson in a single class yet that day.

He moved slowly into the cafeteria, his feet feeling like they had 100 pound weights strapped to them as he walked. Mercedes was already waiting for him when he sat down at their table. He was happy Finn was sitting with the football players that day instead of friends from their glee club.

"What's eating you?" asked Mercedes once Kurt was seated across the table from her. "Problems with you-know-who?"

"Finn found out," answered Kurt, not having the energy to draw it out.

"Oh?" was Mercedes' only answer.

She turned her head to look over at the football table. Shane caught her eye and she gave him a little wave before turning back to Kurt.

"And?" she pressed, waiting for him to continue.

"He said he wouldn't tell," sighed Kurt, putting down the plastic fork he had been pushing his food around with. "He's pretty freaked out, though. Who can blame him, really? This isn't... isn't _normal_."

Mercedes pursed her lips but said nothing.

"I don't know what to do, 'Cedes," quavered Kurt, leaning back in his chair and running a hand over his face. "I feel like trapped in this."

"What do you want?" asked Mercedes.

"What do you mean?" questioned Kurt, sitting forward and looking at her in confusion.

"What do _you_ want?" she asked again. "People's opinions be damned. What does Kurt Hummel want?"

_Blaine_, thought Kurt, instantly.

"I don't know," sighed Kurt.

"Well, figure _that_ out and then _we'll_ figure something out," said Mercedes, reaching to pat Kurt's hand reassuringly.

Kurt bit his lip and nodded.

They ate in companionable silence for a while as the rest of the school cafeteria echoed with the voices of the students surrounding them. Their meal was interrupted, though, when Shane showed up, plunking his massive body down in the red chair next to Mercedes. She looked up from her grilled chicken to smile at him.

"Hey Baby," he said, smiling at her.

Kurt managed not to roll his eyes as the two made goo-goo eyes at each other while chatting about absolutely nothing of importance. He dug into his salad, letting his mind travel elsewhere so he could block out their baby talk.

"Oh that reminds me, Kurt!" exclaimed Mercedes, pulling Kurt out of his thoughts. "You're going to Puck's Halloween party, right?"

"I..." started Kurt but Mercedes cut him off.

"You should bring Blaine as your date," she continued excitedly.

"Mercedes," hissed Kurt, looking at Shane warily.

"Hey man," cut in Shane. "I have no problem with you being gay. You can talk about your boyfriend in front of me; I'm not gonna say anything against it."

"Uh, thanks?" responded Kurt before going back to glaring at Mercedes. "You can't possibly think that's a good idea, though, Mercedes!"

"Why not?" she asked with a shrug. "It's a costume party and since Finn knows, it isn't like anyone's going to..."

"No, just no," snapped Kurt. "That's a terrible idea!"

"It could be fun," coaxed Mercedes.

"Fun like the locker room after Gym class," retorted Kurt.

"So, you just plan on keeping Blaine a secret forever?" sounded Mercedes voice causing Kurt to startle.

"Mercedes!" cried out Kurt, slamming his locker closed. "You scared me."

"I asked you at lunch today what it was you wanted in all this," continued Mercedes, unfazed by Kurt's response.

Throwing his bag over his shoulder, Kurt turned on his heel and began walking through the busy hallway. It was the end of the day and he was so ready to get home and start his weekend.

"You said you didn't know, but I think you were lying," accused Mercedes, hurrying to follow him. "You know what you want."

"Okay," said Kurt, stopping abruptly and spinning to face her. "Maybe I do. It doesn't matter because it won't work. It _can't_ work Mercedes. Even if everyone wouldn't think I'm crazy or perverted, how the hell is it supposed to work? This can't last, Mercedes."

"Kurt," started Mercedes, but he wasn't done.

"This is just a weird little fling thing that is going to blow up in my face and ruin everything and get everyone hurt," exclaimed Kurt, forgetting they were in a middle of populated area. "It isn't worth it! How could it possibly be worth it?"

"Love's always worth it," she replied her voice low and level.

"Is _that_ what this is?" cried out Kurt, his eyes tearing up with emotion.

He threw his hands up in the air in frustration before turning to storm off. Mercedes stayed at his heels the entire way. Kurt picked up his speed as they crossed the parking lot, but it didn't deter her.

"Now _you_ listen to me, boy," she exclaimed once they had reached his Navigator. "It doesn't have to make sense! It doesn't have to be realistic! And it doesn't have to bend to social norms! But if you refuse to fight for it and say things like 'it isn't worth it', then you _sure as hell_ don't deserve it!"

"Deserve what?" snapped Kurt, surprised at Mercedes' cursing.

"_Love_, you moron!" she practically screamed.

Shocked into silence, Kurt stood at his driver's door, waiting for Mercedes to finish.

"Yeah, I think this is a bit strange, this whole thing you have going with Blaine," continued Mercedes, her voice lowering to a more conversational volume. "You wanna know why I've supported you in this 100%, though? You wanna know why I've encouraged it and never, ever told you it was creepy? Because I knew this wasn't just some weird, perverted, little FLING. So don't you dare prove me wrong, Kurt Elizabeth Hummel, don't you dare."

"What do I do? Tell me, then, Mercedes, because I'm at a loss," choked out Kurt, the moisture in his eyes threatening to spill out.

Mercedes opened her mouth to respond but it was Finn's voice that came next.

"What's going on?" asked Finn as he approached the scene. "Is everything okay?"

"Everything's fine, Finn," replied Kurt, clearing his throat. "Let's go home."

"I'll call or text you later, okay?" spoke Mercedes giving Kurt a small smile before hugging him tightly.

"Thanks, 'Cedes," sniffled Kurt, returning the hug.

He climbed into the driver's seat of his Navigator as Finn got into the passenger side. Finn gave him a concerned look, but he ignored it. Turning on the vehicle, he threw it into reverse and backed out of the parking stall. Glancing out the side window before starting forward, Kurt saw Mercedes still standing there watching him leave. He sighed heavily to himself as he reached to put the vehicle in drive.

So what if he was falling for someone who couldn't possibly understand how to love him back? He had fallen for straight guys, how was this so much worse? At least this boy actually was interested in him. Kurt laughed humourlessly to himself, the sound causing Finn to flinch. Perhaps the things the jerks at school said to him weren't far from the truth. Perhaps he _was_ an abomination. Perhaps he _was_ a disgusting loser.

Tears silently began to stream down his face as they drove in silence. Finn shifted uncomfortably in his seat, obviously unsure of how to handle the situation he had stumbled into. Kurt paid him no heed and concentrated on stopping the tears before they arrived at home. Carole would be there and he didn't want her on the alert.

Kurt saw Blaine's face in the kitchen window when he pulled up to the house. It made his heart feel slightly lighter for a moment. He turned off the ignition and, grabbing his bag, got out of the vehicle and walked up to his house. Stepping into the entry, he bent down to take off his shoes before taking off his jacket and hanging it in the closet. Finn silently entered the house after him.

Blaine was at his side when Kurt started for the stairs. When Kurt got to his room, he set his bag down on his desk before throwing himself to his bed. A moment later, he felt the bed dip as Blaine sat down. Kurt turned his head from the pillow to look at Blaine.

"Hi," he croaked.

Blaine smiled at being acknowledged. He moved to lie down next to Kurt on the bed, snuggling his face against Kurt's shoulder until Kurt rolled onto his side, opening his arms in invitation for Blaine. He held on tightly to the curly-haired boy for a few minutes, allowing the feeling of holding Blaine to center him.

Once he felt like he was in control of his emotions again, Kurt let go and sat up, ignoring Blaine's small whine of protest. Now that Finn knew, Kurt suddenly didn't feel comfortable spending a lot of time alone in his room with Blaine. He needed time to think without Blaine's warmth pressing against him or his adorable smile beaming at him, anyway. So, Kurt stood and left the room.

He walked down the stairs and came to a halt when he reached the bottom. Wondering if he should go left to the kitchen or right to the living room. Mindless TV was tempting but the soft footsteps behind him alerted him to Blaine. If he were to sit down on the couch, they'd just end up cuddling. Kurt went left to the kitchen.

Kurt heard the washing machine start up in the background and knew Carole would appear from the laundry room at any moment. So, he busied himself banging around in the kitchen, not really sure what he was doing but making himself look busy.

"Hey Hun," sang Carole's happy voice from over his shoulder just moments later. "Planning on baking something?"

"Yeah!" replied Kurt, overcompensating for his mood and probably sounding a little too chipper.

Taking Carole's question as a suggestion, he opened the skinny cupboard near the stove and pulled out his mother's old, ratty cookbook. The pages were slightly yellowed with age and numerous kitchen spills, flipping through it often caused a small puff of icing sugar or flour dust, and many of the pages had special notes written on them in his mother's chicken-scratch handwriting. His mom had always loved baking and some of his most favourite memories of her were the times they had spent in the kitchen together, hovering over mixing bowls and open cookbooks.

Kurt smiled softly as he ran his fingertip over the handwriting next to the title on the page that the cookbook always automatically opened to from use. Written beside the "Strawberry Tea Biscuits" title was '_Kurt's favourite for his tea parties_' written in fading blue ink. Carole had moved to stand next to him. She smiled softly as she read the note Kurt was running his finger over and squeezed his shoulder.

Giving Carole a watery smile, Kurt took a deep breath before flipping past the page in the cookbook looking for something to bake for dessert that night. Kurt chose a simple recipe for chocolate cake and began to rummage through cupboards looking for all the necessary ingredients.

"Need any help?" asked Carole.

"Sure," answered Kurt, suddenly happy for her company to his own surprise.

It wasn't that he didn't like Carole, but when he was momentarily lost in melancholy nostalgia over his mother, it seemed like Carole would be the last person he would want.

They worked companionably on their tasks, momentarily stopping to check the cookbook every so often. Carole hummed an old tune as she greased a cake pan. She set the cake pans down on the counter for Kurt to pour that batter in. Once they had the cake in the oven, they cleaned up their mess and then went about creating another one as they started on making supper.

Burt had arrived home from work and was in the living room watching TV with Finn and Blaine when Kurt finished setting the table. The cake was cooling on the counter, chocolate icing made and waiting in a bowl in the refrigerator to be spread generously on it. The house was filled with a mixture of the scent of chicken casserole and chocolate cake. The kitchen was almost uncomfortably warm from the long-winded use of the oven that afternoon. Altogether, it created a comfortable 'home' feeling.

Carole called everyone for supper. The smell coupled with her call was more than enough to have Burt and Finn to their feet and hurrying into the dining room without hesitation despite their interest in the show they had been watching.

Kurt frowned when the four of them were seated at the table. As per usual, Blaine was hovering back in the kitchen, waiting for them to finish so he could have companions again.

"Why is it," began Kurt, trying to be mindful of the tone he used. "that when we order take-out, Blaine is welcome to sit with us in the living room to eat as if part of the family, but when we sit down around the table, he is suddenly a second rate member of the household?"

Silence followed his accusing question. But after a few moments there was a sudden mini-flurry of movement. Finn jumped to his feet mumbling something about there being another chair in the office while Burt pushed his place setting closer to Carole to make more room at the table. Carole got to her feet to get another plate from the kitchen.

Minutes later there was a spot for Blaine at the family table and Carole was ushering him to the seat. He looked confused and nervous but sat down in the chair next to Kurt. Finn grinned shyly at Blaine before reaching to scoop a large helping of the casserole out of the dish and plop it on Blaine's plate.

"Eat up, Dude," offered Finn. "Mom's casserole is the best."

Kurt smiled softly at Blaine in encouragement when the boy flashed him a nervous look. The food was delicious and having his family around was fantastic, but Kurt had a hard time eating that night because of the lump that had formed in the back of his throat.

* * *

><p>AN: 

_If I fall along the way  
>Pick me up and dust me off<br>And if I get too tired to make it  
>Be my breath so I can walk<em>

_If I need some other love  
>Give me more than I can stand<br>And when my smile gets old and faded  
>Wait around I'll smile again<em>

_Shouldn't be so complicated  
>Just hold me and then<br>Just hold me again_

_Can you help me I'm bent  
>I'm so scared that I'll never<br>Get put back together_

_You're breaking me in  
>And this is how we will end<br>With you and me bent_

_Start bending me  
>It's never enough<br>I feel all your pieces_

_Start bending me  
>Keep bending me until I'm completely broken in<em>

_Shouldn't be so complicated  
>Just touch me and then<br>Just touch me again_

_Can you help me I'm bent  
>I'm so scared that I'll never<br>Get put back together_

_You're breaking me in  
>And this is how we will end<br>With you and me bent_

'Bent' - Matchbox 20


	11. Chapter 11

**Title:** Man's Best Friend  
><strong>Pairings<strong>: Kurt/Blaine  
><strong>Rating<strong>: R  
><strong>Warnings:<strong> Pet!Blaine and all that entails  
><strong>Note<strong>: This story is a fill for a prompt at the Glee Kink Meme on livejournal.

* * *

><p><em>Chapter Eleven<br>_

* * *

><p>"So what do you want us to start with?" asked Kurt as he and Blaine approached Burt.<p>

Placing a steaming cup of coffee down on the auto shop counter, Kurt took in a deep breath through his nose. The greasy shop was definitely not the type of place Kurt would choose to spend his time, but the familiar smells and sounds had been so engrained into his childhood, that he couldn't help but enjoy the nostalgia of it. Burt looked up from going through the stack of papers, perking at the sight of the coffee.

"That for me?" he asked.

Kurt grinned and nodded.

"No sucking up to the boss," warned Burt before grinning back at him and taking a sip of the hot drink. "So, we have a few oil changes that need to be done today. I figure that should be a simple and repetitive enough task for Blaine."

Burt pulled a sheet of paper from the top of his pile and handed it to Kurt.

"This one's ready and waiting," he said as Kurt took the paper from his hand.

"C'mon, Blaine," said Kurt as he glanced down at the sheet of paper and began walking across the shop.

Blaine followed closely behind Kurt, looking around at the sights. He had spent a day there before, but it obviously hadn't been enough to make him comfortable in the new setting. He startled and bumped into Kurt's back at the sharp hiss of someone hooking up to an air compressor. Kurt chuckled softly and turned to take hold of Blaine's wrist. He guided him the rest of the way to the car at the far end that was waiting for an oil change.

"We're going to give this car an oil change," spoke Kurt when they reached the car.

Blaine cocked his head to the side and looked inquisitively at Kurt.

"Oil change," enunciated Kurt, holding Blaine's gaze.

Kurt walked over to a large, red tool chest standing next to the shop wall.

"This is where we keep tools," he said as he opened one of the drawers and pulled out a wrench. "And this is a ratchet wrench; we need it to do the oil change."

Blaine was watching Kurt closely, but Kurt had no idea if anything he was saying was getting through to Blaine. He placed the tool in Blaine's hand and repeated the name. Leaving the wrench in Blaine's care and beckoning him to stand close, Kurt opened the hood of the car to open the oil filler cap.

"See what I did, Blaine?" asked Kurt, looking up from the car's engine. "I opened the oil filler cap so that there will be airflow when we drain the old oil. It'll help it drain better."

Kurt grabbed a drain pan and knelt down to peer under the front of the car.

"So, now we have to drain the oil," he said as he reached under the car.

"This is the drain bolt," he informed Blaine, pointing it out to him before taking the ratchet wrench from his grasp. "You need to remove the drain bolt like this."

The second Kurt took the drain bolt off, oil quickly streamed from the oil tank, the first of it coating his fingers.

"Ugh," growled Kurt, pulling his hand back. "I should have worn gloves."

A strange, throaty sound came from Blaine, causing Kurt to turn to face him. Blaine's eyes were dancing with amusement and he was attempting to keep himself from grinning too widely.

"Huh, huh, huh," grumbled Kurt, giving Blaine a nasty look. "You're doing the next one, so mind yourself."

Once the oil stream had slowed down, Kurt replaced the drain bolt and went about showing Blaine how to replace the oil filter. Then he showed him how to put the new oil in the car. He turned on the car and let it idle for a minute before checking the oil level to make sure he had put enough in it. When he was content he cleaned up the oil drain pan and tools that he used, making sure to show Blaine exactly where everything went and how to dispose of the used oil.

Blaine followed Kurt back up to the counter where Kurt pulled the paper his dad had given him out of his pocket and pressed it down on the paper spike, before looking for another oil change one. Grabbing it, he motioned for Blaine to follow him to the next vehicle they were supposed to do. It was waiting in the parking lot in front of the building, so Kurt found the matching keys on the wrack next to the counter and went outside to drive it in.

This time Kurt still talked his way through the oil change, pointing out the names of everything and showing Blaine where everything was, but he made Blaine do the work. He only had to intervene a few times to make sure Blaine did things correctly and though it probably took three times as long as it would had he just done it himself, Kurt was beaming when they finished.

"You did it, Blaine," he said with a big grin as he put away the filter pliers.

There weren't a lot of other vehicles with simple enough tasks to them, so Kurt rolled one of the tool chests to the back room and sat with Blaine on the old ratty couch. He pulled out different tools, placed each one in Blaine's hands, told him their name and then replaced them in their place in the tool box before pulling out the next. He didn't expect Blaine to remember everything, but he hoped that some of the information was getting through. Blaine seemed content to sit and listen and Kurt figured that with some repetition, Blaine would begin to understand.

It wasn't long before Burt was stepping into the back room to ask Kurt if they'd like to go out for an early lunch. Normally, Burt didn't leave the shop for lunch, but it wasn't an overly busy day and it was a rare occurrence to have Kurt there, so he must have been feeling generous.

The three of them took off their coveralls and headed out of the shop. Burt called back to his other two employees that he was off for lunch as they left. There was a cute little dinner just a block down the street from Hummel Tire and Lube. It was a nice day, so, even though Burt was ready to have them pile into his old pickup truck, Kurt insisted that they walk there.

Blaine was wide-eyed the entire walk. He watched the vehicles breeze by on the busy city street, took in the sights of all the businesses lining either side, and made sure to look at the face of every pedestrian they passed on the sidewalk. Kurt caught his dad watching Blaine's reactions with amusement and smiled to himself. So far, the day had gone great. There had been no obvious shows of affection from Blaine that would put Kurt in an awkward position and Blaine had done well working with Kurt on the oil changes. He really did seem to be taking in what Kurt said. Of course, Kurt wouldn't know for sure until they actually let Blaine try doing stuff on his own, but that wouldn't be for a while yet.

A little bell dinged over their heads when the stepped into the dinner. It looked like it hadn't been touched since the 50s, which, Kurt conceded, could be charming if it wasn't for the fact that it looked like it hadn't been _touched_ since the 50s. He looked at the dusty counter top with disdain as they approached the till.

"What do you boys want, it's on me," came Burt's gruff voice.

Kurt eyed the menu and decided quickly on a soup and sandwich. He side-eyed Blaine, remembering the instance at Pita Place and wondering if he should try to find a way to ask him what he wanted. Finally, though, he just decided to have get Blaine the same thing.

"So, how's he been doing?" asked Burt once they were seated in a booth with ratty seats.

"Pretty well, actually," replied Kurt enthusiastically.

They ate their food in silence, then, Burt not being much of a talker and Kurt not really having much to say. Once they were finished their meal, Burt suggested Kurt and Blaine take the afternoon off so as not to overwhelm Blaine with too much information in one go. Kurt conceded only after making Burt promise to take Blaine with him to work the next week.

When Kurt and Blaine arrived back home that afternoon, the house was completely quiet. Kurt spied a note sitting on the kitchen counter and picked it up to read. It was from Finn saying that he was hanging out with Puck and wouldn't be home until after supper. A small thrill clenched at Kurt's insides when he realized he and Blaine would have the house to themselves for several hours. Both his dad and Carole wouldn't be home from their jobs until just before supper time. He stuck the note to the fridge with a magnet so it wouldn't get lost before heading up to his room, Blaine, of course, at his heels.

"Why don't you shower first," said Kurt as they reached the top of the stairs.

He pulled a towel out of the hall closet and led Blaine to the bathroom to get a shower going for him. When the water temperature was just right, he turned on the shower head and left Blaine in the bathroom to clean up.

"Don't be long," he ordered before shutting the bathroom door.

The fifteen minutes Kurt spent waiting for Blaine to finish his shower seemed to take forever because of how much Kurt hated the feel of being dirty after working in the shop. Finally, he heard the shower turn off and he was quick to grab his robe and towel. Blaine stepped out of the bathroom, towel wrapped around his waist just as Kurt arrived.

"My turn," he said, practically dancing from foot to foot in anticipation.

He moved past Blaine, barely even glancing at how the water droplets ran down the refined muscles of his tan chest... _barely_. Closing the door behind him, Kurt quickly undressed, letting his work clothes fall to the floor in a pile (something he'd never do with his designer outfits), before turning on the shower and stepping in. He sighed in relief as the hot water coursed over his skin.

When Kurt walked into his room after showering, his skin flushed pink from the heat, there was a Blaine-sized lump cuddled in his bed. A curly-haired head poked up from under the covers at Kurt's arrival. Kurt couldn't place the look on Blaine's face, but he found it adorable. He smiled warmly at Blaine before walking across his room to his dresser. Blaine cleared his throat to get Kurt's attention before patting the space on the bed next to him just like Kurt always did when he wanted Blaine to join him.

"Just let me get dressed and then we can cuddle," said Kurt, happy at the prospect.

He was about to turn back to his dresser when Blaine pulled the blankets up to try to beckon Kurt to climb in with him and, in doing so, flashed Kurt a momentary eyeful of skin.

"Oh," sounded Kurt's _eloquent_ response as he realized Blaine was lying naked in his bed.

Blaine patted the bed again, giving Kurt a look that was half pleading and _all_ bedroom eyes. Kurt swallowed heavily and without making the decision, found his feet taking him around to the side of the bed. He hesitated then. This was not something Kurt Hummel would do. He was amazed at just how tempted he was despite everything he knew about himself. As he stood there for a few moments weighing his options and trying not to have a heart attack and die, Blaine slid across the bed under the covers so that he was closer to Kurt.

Kurt was just coming to the conclusion that it would be best to pull on a pair of lounge pants and a t-shirt before doing anything else when Blaine moved to kneel in front of him. The blankets shifted so they were lying low over his hips as he reached to take Kurt's hand in his own. He reached up with his other hand and lightly touched his index and middle fingers to Kurt's throat. They were feather-light as he ran them down his neck and used them to push aside Kurt's bathrobe as he continued to run them slowly down Kurt's torso.

Kurt shivered at Blaine's touch and closed his eyes. Blaine's fingertips sparked goose bumps across his entire body. His fingers were halfway down Kurt's abdomen when he reached the fabric belt that tied Kurt's robe shut. He worked at it clumsily but finally got it untied, allowing the robe to fall open.

Kurt's breath hitched when he felt the cooler air meet his body making him painfully aware of his nudity. He kept his eyes shut tightly and focused on the feeling of Blaine's fingertips as the continued their trail south, ending just before reaching his most southern region which was becoming tighter every moment.

A groan passed from Blaine's lips to Kurt's ears causing Kurt to open his eyes. Blaine was staring at his half-hard penis and licking his lips in the most tantalizing of ways. Kurt sucked in a harsh breath at the sight, catching Blaine's attention. Blaine rose back up to his knees and took hold of either side of Kurt's open robe to pull him in for a hot kiss.

Kurt tilted his head as he pressed into the kiss, opening his mouth to allow Blaine's searching tongue entrance. Blaine pushed the robe down Kurt's shoulders as he moved into the kiss. The white plush robe hit the floor almost soundlessly leaving Kurt completely exposed, but he was too wrapped up in a heated kiss to care. He felt Blaine's hands move from his shoulders down his pectorals, pausing briefly to press his thumbs into his nipples before continuing to slide down his torso. When his warm hands came into line with Kurt's navel, Blaine moved them to Kurt's hips and then around to pressing into the dip of Kurt's back.

When he felt Blaine pulling him forward, Kurt's only thought was to comply and he suddenly found himself under his soft duvet, his bare body pressed against Blaine's own nakedness. Every last one of his nerve endings were on fire as he shared short passionate kisses with Blaine, their hands and arms clutching at one another, their legs tangling together. It was only when Blaine's erection pressed against the inside of Kurt's thigh that his brain kicked in and he was suddenly very concerned with how far they were about to go.

Pulling back from Blaine's grasp, Kurt took a moment to catch his breath before opening his eyes. Blaine was staring back at him, his pupils blown so wide that the honey hazel was only a small ring. Kurt took a few steadying breaths, willing his raging teenage hormones to calm down. This was too much, he couldn't allow himself to succumb to this, not when he was still so confused about the entire situation. He groaned in frustration and pressed balled fists to his eyes. Blaine laid beside him, softly stroking his fingertips across Kurt's hip while he waited.

Finally, Kurt brought his hands down from his face and looked back over at Blaine.

"I'm sorry," he croaked, his throat tightening as he tried to speak. "I'm sorry, Blaine. I want this, I do... but..."

Kurt sighed in frustration but leaned forward to press a chaste kiss to Blaine's lips. When he pulled back, he sat up and swung his legs over the side of the bed. Blaine crawled after him, reaching for his waist to pull him back in but Kurt ignored his advances. He leaned down to pick up his robe and pulled it on before he stood and crossed the room to his dresser.

He could feel Blaine's eyes on him but couldn't bear to turn his head to meet them. He knew he was messing with Blaine with his 'hot and cold' antics and he hated himself for it. It would be bad enough to do it to a regular person, but it was probably more confusing for Blaine. Kurt opened his dresser and quickly pulled out a pair of lounge pants to put on. He heard movement behind him and caught sight of Blaine walking naked out of his room from the corner of his eye.

Hearing his bedroom door close indicating Blaine's exit, Kurt let out a shrill grouse of frustration. He purposely banged his forehead on the top of his dresser, clenching his hands in fists at his sides. Why was everything so complicated?

Once Kurt was dressed, he sat down at his dressing table and got out his moisturizer. He took his time putting the creams on his face and neck, hoping for Blaine to return. Once he had finished with his moisturizing routine, he stood and paced his room for a few minutes, not really knowing what to do with himself. Still, Blaine did not return.

Kurt picked up Blaine's towel from the floor on the far side of his bed and placed it in his laundry hamper before sitting down at his bedroom window. He stared unseeingly out of it for what seemed like hours but was probably only ten minutes or so before finally admitting to his self that Blaine wasn't coming back; _So much for having the house to themselves for the afternoon_.

Leaving his room, Kurt tiptoed down the stairs to the living room. He stopped in his tracks when he saw Blaine, dressed and sitting on a stool next to the window. His back was to him as he stared out the window. There was a dejected slump to his shoulders that Kurt couldn't miss.

"There you are," trilled Kurt, forcing his voice to sound upbeat as he entered the room.

Blaine didn't move.

Biting his lip, Kurt hesitated, trying to think of what to do. Part of him wanted to throw himself at Blaine and beg him for forgiveness but the other part told him to stay strong, that he had to be the one to draw the line. Kurt took a few more steps toward Blaine.

"It's nice outside," he said. "Do you want to go to the park?"

Blaine's body relaxed a moment before he schooled it back into his former position. Kurt pursed his lips, but took a few steps toward the entry.

"I think I'm going to walk to the park," he called over his shoulder. "You can come if you like."

Forcing himself not to look back, Kurt opened the entry closet and pulled out his jacket. He took his time pulling it on and doing up the buttons, hoping Blaine would appear behind him. Then he got out his shoes and put them on, fumbling with the laces as he took as much time as he could tying them. He let out a disappointed sigh when Blaine still hadn't shown up.

"Good bye," he called out before reaching for the door handle.

Suddenly, there was a shuffling behind him and he turned in time to see Blaine hurriedly approach. Blaine frowned at him when they locked eyes. It tugged at Kurt's heart; he never wanted to see that look on Blaine's face again, especially not because of him.

"Will you come with me?" he asked. He had meant for it to sound like a simple question but it came out more as a plea.

Blaine didn't give him any sort of response, just moved to grab his own coat and slip his feet into the casual loafers Carole had bought him when it turned out that he had trouble with shoelaces. Kurt waited in the doorway until Blaine was ready, then he stepped outside, holding the door open for Blaine.

They walked in silence, which, of course, wasn't unusual, but it felt heavy that day. Blaine didn't stare eagerly at everything they passed, nor did he grab onto Kurt's arm in excitement when he saw something particularly stimulating. He didn't have a skip to his step and he definitely didn't flash Kurt happy grins every few metres. Kurt desperately wanted to reach for Blaine's hand, but was afraid he would recoil from the touch.

When they reached the park it only took a few seconds for one of the children to notice Blaine's presence.

"Blaine!" squealed a small girl with long brown braids.

She jumped down from where she had been swinging on the monkey bars and ran to him. His solemn expression cracked into a bright smile when he saw her. He squatted down and caught her in his arms as she flung herself at him. He swung her up onto his back and pranced to the play equipment, holding on to her legs so she wouldn't fall. She giggled as they went, her small arms wrapped tightly around his neck.

Kurt smiled softly and sat down on the bench to watch Blaine play with the kids. He loved seeing Blaine so happy and carefree; he was definitely in his element when surrounded by children.

"Your boyfriend is so good with children," spoke a woman as she approached him pushing a stroller. "He must be a really sweet guy."

Kurt was taken aback for a moment, not used to being talked to by the parents at the playground. He glanced over at the woman as she parked the stroller next to his bench and took a seat on the end.

"What..." he started but paused to adjust the tone of his voice to something more conversational. "What makes you think he's my boyfriend?"

"Oh goodness," she exclaimed, laughing sheepishly. "I'm sorry for assuming. You two just seem to fit together when you walked up a little while ago and you've been looking at him with heart eyes since sitting down."

Kurt could feel his cheeks flush at her words, though he wasn't sure what she meant by '_fit together'_. Was he really so obvious about his feelings? He needed to pay better attention to his facial expressions, obviously

"He is, by the way," Kurt managed, after they sat in silence for a few moments.

"Your boyfriend?" she questioned absently.

"Sweet," corrected Kurt, smiling as he watched Blaine get chased around by a pack of laughing children.

He sat there for a little over a half hour longer, responding every so often to the woman's small talk, and never taking his eyes off Blaine. As time went by, he became antsy to get home, though. The walk to the park had just been a ploy to try to get Blaine in a better mood, what he really wanted was some time alone with him to figure out a way to fix things.

Pulling out his phone, Kurt checked the time. If they left now, they may have an hour alone at home before his dad arrived home, maybe two. It depended on how much clean up Burt had at the end of the day or if he was feeling generous enough to take on some last minute customer who thought it fair to bring their car in twenty minutes before closing. Kurt glanced up from his phone while returning it to his pocket, eyes scanning the playground for Blaine. He wondered if Blaine would forgive him. Rejection was the pits, especially when you don't understand why.

"Blaine," called out Kurt after some time spent willing away his nerves. "Blaine! We gotta head home!"

He tried to make it sound like he was calling a friend instead of a pet since the lady next to him seemed convinced they were dating. Moments later Blaine was at his side, waving over his shoulder at the kids as they walked away from the playground.

Kurt chanced a side-glance at Blaine as they reached the sidewalk. Blaine looked more relaxed, but his jaw was still set and his eyes still lacked the dancing light they usually took on when he was with Kurt. Biting his lower lip, Kurt took a deep breath and moved his hand to touch Blaine's as they walked. The backs of their fingers bumped together for a few paces before Kurt got the nerve to fold them between Blaine's and press their palms together. Blaine didn't move away.

Breathing a silent sigh of victory, Kurt squeezed Blaine's hand and shot a timid smile across at him. Blaine didn't smile in response, in fact, his face looked like it was about to crumble.

"Blaine?" questioned Kurt, slowing the pace.

Blaine simply shook his head and made them speed their pace right back up. Kurt followed suit, not daring to allow their hands to come apart now that he had them fit together... _fit together._ Kurt smiled to himself and rolled his eyes.

When they reached the house, Kurt hurried to take off his shoes and jacket before and latch back onto Blaine before the curly-haired boy could run off. Pressing their hands back together, Kurt led Blaine up to his room. He would make this right if it killed him.

Kurt directed Blaine to his bed and sat, hoping Blaine would do the same. Fortunately, Blaine sat down next to him on the bed. Kurt smiled at Blaine, placing his hand on the boy's knee.

"I'm sorry for making you feel rejected," Kurt said, softly. "I don't want you to feel anything but loved, Blaine."

Blaine stared at the floor. It frustrated Kurt that he couldn't just say these things and Blaine would understand. He didn't know how much of what he said would get through and wasn't sure how else he could get the point across.

"Even if I had a more... conventional... boyfriend," started Kurt. "I definitely wouldn't be moving this fast with him. We need to slow down, Blaine. We can't just let our... urges dictate where things go. That's probably going to be hard for you to understand because you practically function by that alone, but I can't do things that way. I need time."

Kurt ran his fingertips over Blaine's cheek and down his jaw, gentling taking hold of his chin and turning his head to look at him. He smiled sadly at Blaine.

"We gotta learn to be more subtle, too," continued Kurt. "You have some serious jealousy issues that are going to give us away if they flare up again and, supposedly, I have perpetual _heart eyes_."

Kurt rolled his eyes as he said the last part and, for whatever reason, it made Blaine smile. Happy at seeing Blaine's expression change, Kurt opened his arms in invitation. Blaine was quick to press his face into Kurt's chest and cuddle tightly against him. Wrapping his arms tightly around Blaine, Kurt felt him shudder against him and wondered if it was in relief or with emotion. He pressed his face into Blaine's curls and kissed his head before breathing in deeply.

"You're so special, Blaine," whispered Kurt, softly. "So sweet and so wonderful."

After allowing Kurt to hold him for some time, Blaine slowly pulled away and instead moved to lay across with his head in Kurt's lap.

"Belly rub?" asked Kurt, laughing lightly.

Blaine grinned at the familiar words and sat up to pull off his shirt before laying back down.

"If it'll make you forgive me," sighed Kurt in mock exasperation. "Then I guess I can oblige. If you turn out to be like one of those pervs who goes to a professional masseuse looking for a massage with a happy ending, though, you are going to be sorely disappointed."


	12. Chapter 12

**Title:** Man's Best Friend  
><strong>Pairings<strong>: Kurt/Blaine  
><strong>Rating<strong>: R  
><strong>Warnings:<strong> Pet!Blaine and all that entails  
><strong>Note<strong>: This story is a fill for a prompt at the Glee Kink Meme on livejournal.

* * *

><p><em>Chapter Twelve<br>_

* * *

><p>Things went almost back to normal between Kurt and Blaine in the days following –whatever normal for them was. Sunday was unseasonably warm and Blaine spent a lot of the afternoon running around in the background with Finn while Kurt worked on his untouched weekend homework. On Monday Blaine was waiting for Kurt when he arrived home from school and promptly followed him up to his room to laze on his bed while Kurt worked on his homework, checked his email, and flipped through magazines.<p>

Blaine padded barefoot around the house, happy when the family members were home. He would sit at Burt's feet when the man was relaxing in front of the TV after work, or he would sit on a stool in the kitchen and watch Carole prepare meals, like usual. He would often follow Kurt around the house while Kurt feigned annoyance and, when he got bored, Blaine would sit with Finn while he played video games. Really, the only thing that seemed different about Blaine's relationship with the Hummel family was that he had his own place setting at the dinner table every evening.

Burt had taken Blaine with him to work on Tuesday and Thursday and was happy to report at Thursday night's meal that Blaine had managed to properly do an oil change on a car completely by himself that day. He had proudly patted Blaine on the shoulder as he told everyone else around the table. Blaine had grinned, happy for the praises everyone gave him.

Though Kurt was getting his wish of being inconspicuous and was thrilled that his father had stopped giving him suspicious looks, he was beginning to worry that Blaine had altogether lost interest in him, or that Blaine, perhaps had regressed back into full out pet mentality because he had been rejected one too many times. Kurt soon learned that he had been worrying for nothing when there was a soft knock at his bedroom door on Thursday night just as he was getting into bed.

"Come in," he called out softly, as he laid down in his bed and pulled the covers up to his chin.

The knob turned with a soft click and then the door was being pushed open. Kurt smiled when he saw Blaine poke his head into the room.

"Hi," greeted Kurt, making sure to keep his voice low so no one else in the house heard him. "Come to say goodnight?"

Smiling brightly at Kurt's words, Blaine stepped into the room, shutting the door behind him. He was wearing his flannel pyjama pants and a thin, white tank top. The soft light shining in through Kurt's window from the street accentuated the taut muscle on Blaine's arms while the clingy top showed off the high contrast between Blaine's shoulders and his tapered waist. Kurt was suddenly filled with a heavy desire to run his hands over Blaine's chest and arms.

Blaine crossed the room and knelt down at the head of the bed so that his face was in line with Kurt's. He propped his head up on his hands, elbows resting on the bed and simply looked into Kurt's cool grey eyes. Smiling, Kurt reached to gently touch Blaine's face before shifting in the bed to lean forward and kiss his lips.

"Will you stay with me tonight?" asked Kurt when he withdrew from the soft kiss.

Getting to his feet, Blaine glanced over the bed before giving Kurt a timid look. Kurt lifted the blankets and scooted back to give Blaine room. Blaine's eyes sparkled and he crawled into the bed with Kurt, quickly moving to the center of the bed to press himself into Kurt's side. He rested his head on Kurt's chest and wrapped an arm around his waist.

"Good night, Blaine," whispered Kurt, fondly, before leaning forward to kiss the top of Blaine's head.

Blaine snuggled his face into Kurt's chest and squeezed his waist before letting out a content sigh. They lay together like that until sleep found them.

"Where's Quinn?" asked Kurt as he sat down at the table at lunch break.

"Mike saw her walking to the bleachers with the Skanks after last class," reported Tina from Kurt's left.

"She's back on her 'Glee club is evil and everyone in it hates me' routine," spoke Mercedes from across the table, rolling her eyes as she said it.

"I don't get it," wondered Kurt out loud as he opened his packet of salad dressing. "She liked us last week."

"Yeah, so, it's about time she hated us again," cut in Rachel with dramatic flair as she appeared beside Mercedes, sitting down at the table, lunch bag in hand. She always brought her own lunches because '_McKinley doesn't have appropriate vegan choices_'.

The four of them shook their heads to themselves and turned their attentions to their lunches. After a few moments of silence, which were rather strange to have just for the fact that Rachel was sitting with them that day, Mercedes looked up from her meal and cleared her throat.

"Kurt," she said, pulling his attention from his sad cafeteria salad. "It's Friday."

"So it is, Mercedes," he responded flippantly.

She rolled her eyes at him before speaking again.

"Tomorrow is Saturday, as in Halloween, as in Puck's Halloween party," she continued. "You still haven't told me if you were going to come or not."

"Fine," exclaimed Kurt in exasperation. "I'll come. But only because if I don't Carole is going to rope me in to helping her with the haunted house the hospital is putting on as a fundraiser."

"And you'll bring Blaine?" questioned Mercedes, her face breaking out into a huge grin.

"Mercedes," sighed Kurt, shaking his head. "You know that's a bad idea."

"Oh please bring him, Kurt," begged Tina, Mercedes' enthusiasm rubbing off on her. "I want to see him again! How's his eye, anyway?"

"You guuuys," grumbled Kurt, motioning with his eyes toward Rachel... RACHEL, the biggest gossip in glee club.

"Who cares if Rachel knows?" asked Mercedes, causing Rachel's head to snap up in sudden interest. "Now that Finn knows about it, what do you have to worry about?"

"Wait, wait, wait," commanded Rachel, holding up her hands for emphasis. "Kurt, you have a boyfriend and Finn knows and he didn't tell me? Actually, wait, you have a boyfriend and _you_ didn't tell me?"

"This is not happening," muttered Kurt as he dropped his head into his hands.

"You wouldn't want to leave Blaine alone all night with all the trick-or-treaters coming to the door, would you?" asked Mercedes, cocking her head to the side and giving him a knowing look. "Besides, the truth is going to come out sooner or later, you might as well have your glee friends get to know him and like him before then."

She had worded it careful enough that it didn't seem to raise suspicion in Tina or Rachel, but it still made Kurt wince. Taking about Blaine in front of people so frivolously like they were, it made Kurt's stomach twist in nervous knots. He didn't want to think about what might happen if people found out what Blaine really was.

"He might like getting out for the night," conceded Kurt, imagining how nervous Blaine would be home alone with the doorbell ringing every two minutes on Halloween night.

"Oh, I have the best idea for a costume for him!" exclaimed Tina, suddenly.

"How come Mercedes and Tina know about this Blaine person and I don't?" asked Rachel in a perturbed tone. "I thought we were best friends, Kurt."

"I guess you'll meet him tomorrow night," replied Kurt with a shrug.

Mercedes and Tina chattered away excitedly, suggesting different costume ideas to Kurt for him and Blaine, while Rachel quietly pouted over not being in on the secret. He sighed and pushed his food around with his fork, having suddenly lost his appetite. This was going to be a disaster.

Blaine had pressed nervously into Kurt's side the moment he heard the pounding bass of the loud music coming from Puck's house. Kurt threaded their fingers together and squeezed Blaine's hand reassuringly as they walked up the front steps. He was about to ring the doorbell when the door swung open and Mercedes squealed excitedly at them from the doorway.

"You two look so cute!" she giggled, obviously already a little tipsy as she ushered them inside.

"What are you supposed to be?" asked Kurt, eyeing her black dress and red cape.

"Red riding hood, of course," laughed Mercedes before reaching back behind her to pull up her hood. "You're so smart, making Blaine dress up as a mime, Kurt! Plus, he looks _extra yummy _in black and white and I love his suspenders and top hat."

"How many drinks have you had?" asked Kurt raising an eyebrow as he followed her through the house to the stairs that led to the basement.

"A few," conceded Mercedes with a flip of her hand.

"Kurt!" exclaimed Tina when he and Blaine arrived in the basement.

She waved them over to where she was sitting with Mike on an old couch.

"Cute, you're both mimes," she slurred as Kurt approached with Blaine clutching to his hand like it was a lifeline.

"Blaine's a mime," corrected Kurt. "I'm Pierrot."

"Cool," said Mike, nodding enthusiastically -maybe a little _too_ enthusiastically for a sober person.

Kurt sat down on the couch, Blaine following suit. His worried frown was heightened by his white and black face paint. Kurt squeezed his hand again and turned to smile at him as reassuringly as he could. In all honesty, though, he was nervous too. He surveyed the room, wondering what kids aside from glee club Puck would have invited. Of course, Puck could have invited the entire football team, but not even Puck was dumb enough to have the glee club and jocks at the same party. Suddenly, Kurt found himself wondering why Puck chose to host a Halloween party for glee club instead of all his jock '_friends_'; Mike, Sam and Finn could have come either way.

Surveying the room, Kurt noticed a few kids he didn't recognize, but really, it _was_ mostly just glee club. He rolled his eyes when he noticed Shane walking up to Mercedes with a dopey look on his face; _of course_ he would be dressed as 'the big bad wolf'. Finn approached a few minutes later with Rachel in tow and handed Kurt a drink, grinning happily at him.

"I'm glad you decided to come, Kurt," he called out through the loud music.

He eyed Blaine nervously, obviously worried almost as much as Kurt was about Blaine getting found out. He didn't say anything about it, though, just smiled and said '_hello_' to Blaine. Rachel excitedly looked from Kurt to Blaine, and opened her mouth like she was going to introduce herself to him in some long-winded speech. She didn't say anything, though. Something like recognition flashed through her eyes as she took a second look at Blaine. She pursed her lips and gave Kurt a look that he couldn't decipher before following after Finn who had wandered off. Kurt frowned to himself, hoping he was just imagining things because of his nerves.

Kurt made small talk with Tina and Mike and talked to a few other friends who stopped to say hi to him and meet Blaine. He didn't move from the couch, though. Blaine was so tense and he figured the curly-haired mime beside him would fair best if allowed to settle into the situation from the 'safety' of the couch. The music changed to something with a fast beat and suddenly all the couples were running to the large space at the front of the room to dance. Blaine watched with interest, but Kurt found watching Blaine to be more interesting. His eyes sparkled with curiousity as they followed different couples through different dance moves.

"Oh my," came a haughty voice from behind them, causing Kurt to turn his head.

Quinn was standing behind the couch looking down at him and Blaine with a strange grin on her face, holding a half-empty bottle of vodka in her hand.

"Kurt, your _boyfriend_ is so handsome," she gushed in a slurred voice. "His name's _Blaine_, right? He's really cute and look at that body, I bet he's just amazing to see _naaaked._"

Try as he might, Kurt couldn't fight the warm flush filling his cheeks. He knew his red face was a dead giveaway that, yes, he _has_ seen Blaine naked and yes, Blaine _is_ amazing naked.

"Dude!" sounded another, rather impressed voice, before he was punched lightly in the arm.

Kurt looked over to see Puck sitting on the arm of the couch, grinning at him manically.

"I'm surprised at your costume choice for him, though," continued Quinn, not fazed by Puck. "I would have thought you'd have dressed him up as a sweet puppy dog."

Suddenly, the warmth that had invaded Kurt's cheeks disappeared completely as he felt all the blood rush away from his face and his body grow cold. _Quinn_. He was so stupid! She had been there only a few weeks ago when he and Mercedes were discussing the whole castration issue. Mercedes had told Quinn that _Blaine_ was the family _pet_. Quinn _knew_. Quinn knew and she was just the right amount of angry and depressed to use that information to Kurt's downfall.

"Quinn," spoke Kurt, trying to keep the tremor from his voice. "Stop and think for a minute; you wouldn't want to say anything that you'll later regret."

"_Blaine_!" exclaimed Rachel, making Kurt wonder when she had approached. "That's where I remember the name from!"

She swayed on the spot a little as she leaned down to peer into Blaine's eyes. Blaine wiggled uncomfortably under her gaze and pressed himself closer to Kurt.

"Finn!" she hollered. "Finn! Didn't you say that your pe..."

"Rachel!" cut in Kurt, jumping up from the couch. "Didn't you want to sing karaoke?"

"Oh yes!" exclaimed Rachel excitedly. "You are so right, Kurt. Thank you for reminding me."

She turned on her heel and stumbled across the room toward the stereo system. Kurt turned back to where Quinn had been standing only to find she must have wandered off. Sighing in relief, Kurt leaned back against the couch and closed his eyes. When he opened his eyes, though, it was to peer into hazel eyes only inches from his own. They weren't the warm, honey hazel that he so loved, though.

"You know, Kurt," sounded Puck's voice, an octave lower than normal. "You have a really nice ass."

"What?" squeaked Kurt in response.

It was unnerving enough to have Puck's face so close to his own, but did he really just hear Puck tell him that he had a nice ass? Jock Puck. Ladies Man Puck. Kurt's Former Bully Puck. Kurt wondered how strong the alcohol in the drink he had been nursing was, because this couldn't really be happening.

"Yeah, like, if I were gay," continued Puck, sliding down from the arm of the couch to squish against Kurt's side. "I would definitely be after you... and by after you, I mean, I'd already have you because... I mean... it's me."

"Um, okay, then," stammered Kurt, swallowing nervously. "You _do_ realize that you _aren't_ in fact gay, though, right Noah?"

Puck just grinned deviously at him, placing a large, warm hand on Kurt's knee.

"I wouldn't mind experimenting," he replied with a shrug.

_WHAT THE HELL? _Kurt knew he was gaping, but really... really? Sure, Puck was known for getting more than a little _friendly_ when drunk, but up until that moment, Kurt had assumed such _friendliness_ was saved for the opposite sex. If only Puck had acted like this as the last party they had both been at, Kurt might have gotten a little... no... definitely not a thought process he should be pursuing. Not with Puck rubbing his hand up and down Kurt's thigh and, whoa, when did that happen? And how did Puck's other arm get wrapped around his shoulders?

The couch had shifted on the other side of Kurt where Blaine had been sitting. _Oh shit,_ _Blaine_. Suddenly, a shadow fell across Kurt and he looked up to see Blaine standing in front of him, glaring angrily down at Puck. Even with his face painted white, his eyes and lips lined in black, and his eyebrows drawn on as black triangles, he looked seething mad.

"Hey Dude," Puck greeted him as if nothing was wrong, still running his hand up Kurt's thigh.

Blaine leaned down so his face was inches from Puck's, at the same time, grabbing Puck's arm by the wrist and yanking his hand away from Kurt's leg.

"Blaine," warned Kurt barely able to find his voice but not wanting a fight.

He attempted to slide away from Puck on the couch, hoping it would help pacify Blaine, but Puck kept his arm around his shoulders.

"What's your problem, Dude?" asked Puck. "I'm just sitting here with my homeboy."

"Puck," spoke Kurt. "You should... you should stop touching me before..."

"He doesn't scare me," cut in Puck, suddenly looking angry. "He's just a short little thing."

Blaine emitted a sound very similar to a growl before lurching forward and grabbing Puck by the collar of his shirt. He might have been small, but Blaine quickly showed Puck and everyone who was watching, that he was stronger than his compact frame indicated. Ripping Puck up from the couch, Blaine pulled him to his feet by his collar. His other hand was bawled into a fist and Kurt was instantly to his feet and grabbed onto Blaine's arm as he raised it to hit Puck.

"Blaine, stop it!" he yelled, panic clenching at his chest.

Blaine lowered his fist at Kurt's voice and turned to look at him. Kurt gave him a pleading look. With a heavy sigh, Blaine let go of Puck, allowing him to stagger and sit heavily back down on the couch. Puck was obviously beyond drunk and may not have even been a real threat to Blaine, but Kurt couldn't stand the thought of watching Blaine get punched again.

"You don't have to be jealous," he cooed softly, his voice quiet so no one else could hear over the loud music. "Don't be jealous."

Exhaling heavily as if trying to breathe out his excess adrenaline, Blaine wrapped his arms around Kurt, pulling him flush with his own body. Kurt hated knowing that all the eyes in the room were now trained on him and Blaine, but he knew Blaine needed the reassurance, so he wrapped his own arms around Blaine's neck and held on tight. Blaine sighed and Kurt could feel his shoulders loosen under his touch.

"Get Wanky!" called out Santana from somewhere across the room. "Let's see some boy on boy action!"

"Some guard dog you've got there," commented Quinn as she strode past them, a new bottle in hand.

At any other time, Kurt might have admired how sober Quinn could look when she was obviously one shot away from completely plastered. Right now, though, he was busy having a miniature panic attack as his mind attempted to catch up with everything that had happened. He let his arms fall from Blaine's neck and, instead, reached to take him by the hand to lead him out of the room.

"I think we're going to go," he said to Mercedes as he quickly walked past her.

"What? So soon?" she stammered in disappointment. "Kurt! You've been here an hour!"

"An hour too long," replied Kurt, not stopping as Mercedes attempted to keep up. "You _did_ see what just happened, didn't you?"

"Let them go," called out Santana. "Kurt's all turned on after that display of testosterone and needs to work it out on his boyfriend."

"Santana!" sounded Finn's voice. "That's my brother you're talking about, ew!"

Despite the calls from Rachel and Tina for him to stay, Kurt didn't slow down until he had dragged Blaine up the stairs, through the house and outside to his Navigator. When they reached it, he finally stopped and took a deep breath. Quinn knew, Rachel was figuring it out, and Puck... Puck had come on to him which made no sense but caused Blaine to put on a wonderful display of primal jealousy in front of all his friends. Kurt leaned over and braced himself on his knees, feeling like he was going to be sick.

The house was dark when they arrived home, which really wasn't a surprise with Burt and Carole at the hospital fundraiser haunted house and Finn still back at Puck's party. It was just about ten o'clock at night, not very late, but late enough that the trick-or-treating children were long gone for the night. Kurt glanced at the sides of the house as they approached it from his vehicle, wondering if they got egged that year. He couldn't see anything, but it was hard to tell in the dark. Really, he didn't care to deal with it at that moment anyway.

Blaine crowded into his space on the doorstep as Kurt unlocked the door in the dark. They had left the porch light off to discourage trick-or-treaters, but the darkness coupled with his shaking hands made it difficult for him to find his key and get it in the keyhole. He knew they shouldn't have gone to the party, but he had gone against his better judgment and things hadn't gone well. Monday would show him just how bad, for now, he just wanted to get his face paint washed off and fall into his bed.

When they were finally in the house and had taken their shoes off at the door, Kurt ushered Blaine up the stairs to his bedroom. Once there, he sat him down at his dressing table and proceeded to clean the white and black paint from Blaine's face with make-up cleansing wipes. He worked on his own face once Blaine's was clean. There were still hints of the black and white pigments in his skin, but it was a process. When Kurt had finished cleaning his own face, he directed Blaine to the bathroom where they could rinse their faces with warm water in the bathroom sink.

They returned to Kurt's room were Kurt promptly began to undress from his billowy white costume. He didn't care whether Blaine was watching him strip off his layers of clothing or not, he just wanted to be in his pyjamas and in bed. Once he was down to his briefs, Kurt pulled his pyjamas from his dresser to put on. He glanced across the room to see Blaine had already followed suit, changing out of his costume. Suddenly, Kurt decided against his pyjamas and set them back into his open dresser drawer.

He swiftly moved across the room, placing his hands on Blaine's bare shoulders before engulfing him in a tight embrace. Blaine quickly responded, wrapping his arms around Kurt in return. Kurt let out a long breath through his nose. This is what he needed.

Kurt walked them to his bed and only when they were standing next to it did he let go of Blaine. They slid under the blankets and cuddled together in the center of the bed. Kurt rested his head on Blaine's chest, hugging him tightly and breathing him in. Blaine held him, sighing happily at the abundance of skin to skin contact between them.

He planned on going to sleep, he really had, but his brain wouldn't shut off. Kurt's mind kept replaying the events of the party over and over in his head and even with Blaine's arms around him; Kurt could feel himself panicking again. He burrowed his face more tightly into Blaine's chest, trying to take a few deep cleansing breaths, but suddenly, all he could see were the faces of his friends pointing and laughing at him, calling him names and telling him he was disgusting and pathetic.

Blaine's body felt warm and grounding. Kurt opened his eyes when he felt Blaine's lips graze his ear. No one could console him right then, no one except for Blaine. Unexpectedly, Kurt suddenly felt filled with a need he had never felt in such a manner before. He had felt desire before, but this was different. He was so lost and overcome and right then he just _needed_. He needed the strength of Blaine's limbs, the warmth of his body, and the touch of his skin. He needed to feel loved and held, treasured and desired, protected and taken. Blaine was always his, searching for acceptance in him, wanting to be taken care of by him, but now it was Kurt's turn.


	13. Chapter 13

**Title:** Man's Best Friend  
><strong>Pairings<strong>: Kurt/Blaine  
><strong>Rating<strong>: R  
><strong>Warnings:<strong> Pet!Blaine and all that entails  
><strong>Note<strong>: This story is a fill for a prompt at the Glee Kink Meme on livejournal.

* * *

><p><em>Chapter Thirteen<br>_

* * *

><p>Kurt was so lost and overcome and right then he just <em>needed<em>. He needed the strength of Blaine's limbs, the warmth of his body, and the touch of his skin. He needed to feel loved and held, treasured and desired, protected and taken. Blaine was always his, searching for acceptance in him, wanting to be taken care of by him, but now it was Kurt's turn...

Kurt's turn to be Blaine's.

He had made such a big deal about them moving slowly and that had only been a week ago. To be honest, he still wasn't sure of a few things; of being ready, of it being safe, of it being something he should share with someone like Blaine. In that moment, though, Kurt just needed Blaine. Kurt may have done a lot of talking around Blaine, but he knew that their form of communication was anything but vocal. Everything was physical touches and expressive eyes between them, and right then, Kurt needed Blaine's comfort. It had to be physical.

Trailing his hands down Blaine's chest, Kurt pressed his lips to the underside of Blaine's jaw. He could feel Blaine's entire body tense under him and he desperately hoped his previous rejection of Blaine wouldn't come back to bite him in the ass in that moment. Blaine wasn't like that, though. Whether it was his level of intelligence or just that he was immeasurably sweet, Blaine would never turn Kurt away out of spite. Kurt could rest in that.

Slowly, trembling hands began to move up Kurt's back, relishing in the sensation. Feeling Blaine responding to him, Kurt smiled through teary eyes and began to trail kisses up and down Blaine's throat before he crawled onto Blaine. He stretched out on top of him, pressing his whole body against the length of Blaine's. He reached his hands up above their heads and leaned down to connect their lips. The feather light touches of Blaine's fingertips running up and down his back and sides were almost painful in the way they sparked his nerve-endings to attention and Kurt struggled to find his breath as their lips moved together in growing passion. Blaine's hands almost felt like they were worshiping him and Kurt didn't know if he could handle it.

Blaine bent his knees, moving his feet up the bed so Kurt was lying in between his open legs. The growing hardness in his briefs was unmistakable from this position, and Kurt pressed his hips down into Blaine's experimentally. Groaning, Blaine's touches were suddenly anything but feather light. The electricity that had shot up Kurt's spine when their hips made contact effectively cleared his mind of everything except _Blaine_. He pressed down again, this time dragging against Blaine for a few inches while doing so. They both groaned, then, and crashed their lips together in a sudden frenzy.

In a flurry of movement, Blaine flipped them over so that he was above Kurt. A predatory growl grew in his throat as he hovered over him, staring hungrily down at him. Kurt wasn't sure if he could even feel his limbs anymore, but he managed to move his arms so that he was pulling down his briefs and kicking them off into the tangled bedding. And then he was naked, naked under Blaine. He looked up into honey hazel eyes in time to see them visibly darken as that realization hit Blaine.

They remained still, staring into each other's eyes, chests heaving, and then Blaine was kissing Kurt. Before Kurt could catch up to the furious kiss, Blaine was moving away from him to mouth down his throat and nip at his collar bone. Frantically tasting and breathing him in, Blaine moved down his chest, his hands roaming along with his mouth.

Kurt was writhing under his passionate ministrations. Blaine's mouth was open against Kurt's hip, as he ran his lips down across the sensitive skill, breathing in deeply as if the scent of Kurt was the most intimate thing he could experience. Kurt tensed as Blaine's lips reached his testicles, waiting and wanting; but Blaine only mouthed softly over his balls and continued to work up to Kurt's other hip, leaving Kurt breathless and keening. Blaine's touches and his hot breath on Kurt's sensitive skin were clouding Kurt's brain with lust and love and euphoria, everything was a fog.

It might have had something to do with that fog as to why Kurt was so compliant when Blaine nudged him to turn over below him. Blaine tore off his briefs as Kurt moved. Once Kurt was lying on his stomach, Blaine pulled at his hips so he was on his knees, the majority of his weight resting on his elbows. Kurt let out a shuddering breath as he felt Blaine's chest press against his back.

Blaine's hands skimmed around his sides, over and up his chest before latching onto his shoulders. He covered Kurt's back with his own body, mouthing and nipping and licking at his back, moving forward to bite down lightly on the back of Kurt's neck. And Kurt was suddenly very aware of the hot dick pressing up the inside of his thighs. He groaned at the moisture and the heat, his mind taking off in different directions at once. One half of him was simply repeating _yesyesyesyes _and the other was screaming warnings at him; _Too much! Too primal! Gonna Hurt! Not Ready! _

He shuddered when he felt the tip of Blaine's dick touch the back of his ball sack in its travel upward. Then it was pressing into his ass. The sensation made something hot curl in his stomach but it also filled him with a sudden panic. Blaine was mouthing at his neck and up behind his ear, biting him softly every so often, his body was trembling with want, and his dick... it was right there, pressing between Kurt's ass cheeks. Swiftly, Kurt surged forward under Blaine's body weight, reaching for the drawer of his night stand to pull out a bottle of lube. _Had to prep himself, had to be ready_. His sudden movement had almost bucked Blaine off his back and onto the floor, but Blaine caught himself by grabbing onto Kurt's hips tightly.

With shaking hands, Kurt squirted a liberal amount of lube onto his fingers and laid down on his side so he could reach behind him. He was just beginning to circle his hole with a lubed finger when Blaine grabbed him to push him back into his former position. Kurt let out a frightened yelp, back to resting his weight on his elbows and knees while Blaine, growling in his throat, threw his body over him again. Heart pounding in his throat, Kurt scrunched his eyes shut and hoped for the best.

The pounding in his throat moved to between his ears as he felt Blaine's dick press between his cheeks again. It didn't press against his entrance, though, and Kurt blinked his eyes open in surprise. Blaine pushed Kurt's knees closer together with his own while he pressed his dick between his thighs, high enough to rub the underside of Kurt's balls and dick. Kurt took in a sharp breath at the sensation.

After Blaine had thrust through his thighs a few times, sucking red marks into his back as he rocked against him, Kurt made a grab for the open lube bottle and squirted some into his hand. He reached backward under himself to capture Blaine's dick in his hand on the next thrust, rubbing it thoroughly with lube before releasing him. Blaine groaned and then was moving faster between his thighs now that everything slid so much better.

It was more intimate and more rewarding than he would have imagined had someone had explained the concept to him. Blaine was wrapped over him, worshiping his back while he rubbed through Kurt's thighs and against the underside of Kurt's dick. Kurt rocked with him, pressing back as he pressed forward, shuddering as the tip of Blaine's dick pushed at the ridge of his.

Time had no meaning as they moved together; everything was silent except for their heavy breathing and the erotic sound of slippery skin moving against slippery skin. Eventually, it did come to an end; Blaine came moaning against Kurt's shoulder blade and reaching down to grip onto Kurt to twist and pull and pump until he too was moaning and coming, a puddle of their come mixing together in the sheets under them.

Kurt twisted sideways as he collapsed to the bed to avoid the puddle on his bed. Blaine came down with him, instantly wrapping his arms around him and kissing his neck. Sighing, Kurt hugged Blaine's arms to his chest and concentrated on the boneless feeling and the contented happiness causing his body to feel like it was floating.

He idly thought about showering but felt so perfectly safe and warm in Blaine's arms that he couldn't bring himself to care about the sweat and come. Blaine's breathing had slowed considerably in the last few minutes and from the way his arms had suddenly grown heavy around him, Kurt knew Blaine had fallen asleep.

His eyelids were beginning to droop and he was nearly asleep himself, when he heard the front door open and close and the hushed voices of Carole and his dad. He glanced at his bedroom door, relieved it was shut tight. He stretched his arm down to grab a corner of his blanket to pull up over Blaine and himself before relaxing back into Blaine's arms and letting sleep take him.

* * *

><p>Sunday morning found them still lying together, legs tangled and Blaine's arms wrapped around Kurt from behind. Kurt's eyelids slowly fluttered open as the daylight invaded his conscious. As he woke, he stretched in Blaine's arms only to be hit with the jarring ache one wakes up with when they have slept so soundly that they haven't moved all night. Then he was aware of things beyond Blaine's arms wrapped around his torso and the stiffness of his muscles, like the fact that he had dried cum between his thighs and on his dick and the entire expanse of his skin had a layer of dried sweat clinging to it. He shuddered. Kurt Hummel was <em>not<em> the kind of person who slept in sweat and cum.

The only thing on Kurt's mind in that moment was showering but then he heard a soft hum behind him. He rolled onto his back so he was face to face with a sleepy-faced Blaine. Sore muscles and shower for gotten, Kurt smiled happily up at Blaine and reached to run a finger over the side of his cheek and down his jaw. Blaine smiled lazily back, running his hand up and down Kurt's bare chest before leaning down to kiss him softly on the lips.

Kurt sighed happily and didn't care in the least that he sounded like a swooning school girl; warm, cozy, happy Blaine on a lazy Sunday morning was absolute bliss.

It was the faraway clanging in the kitchen that pulled Kurt away from Blaine. He sat up and threw his legs over the side of the bed, hating the sudden loss of Blaine's skin against his. Scanning the room for his robe before getting out of bed, he crossed the room to pick it up from where it was lying over his sofa chair. Kurt felt his face pink slightly as he walked naked across his room, feeling Blaine's eyes on him. Once he was wrapped in his robe, he turned around to face Blaine.

"I need a shower," he spoke in a hushed tone. "And you definitely do, too. Just wait here until I get back, though."

With that, Kurt crept out of his room, leaving a very sexy and very naked, curly-haired, and olive-skinned boy lying in his bed. Kurt couldn't help grinning when he thought about it as he pulled two towels from the linen closet and headed toward the bathroom. He walked past Finn's bedroom door and wondered if his step-brother had come home in the night.

He forced himself to have a short shower, even though the hot water felt amazing on his stiff muscles. When he was done his shower he left the extra towel sitting on the bathroom vanity for Blaine and headed back to his room. Though Kurt hadn't taken that long, Blaine had fallen back to sleep while he waited. Kurt found him lying on his stomach, mouth open, and slightly snoring when he returned to his room.

Suppressing a chuckle that probably would have sounded more like a giggle, Kurt shook his head affectionately as he regarded Blaine. He quickly got dressed before creeping to the side of the bed and kissing Blaine's neck until he awoke. Bright honey hazel eyes were suddenly staring into Kurt's stormy eyes and Kurt couldn't help but grin. Blaine shifted on the bed so he was lying on his side, the blanket sitting low on his hips showing off his delicious chest that Kurt found absolutely tantalizing even covered in a film of dried sweat from the night before.

"Go have a shower," ordered Kurt, giving Blaine a quick kiss on the lips.

Blaine grumbled good-naturedly but climbed out of bed at Kurt's command. With the bed vacant, Kurt was quick to strip it over the soiled bedding so that he could do a load of laundry that morning. He heard a popping sound and looked up from gathering the sheets to see a very naked Blaine standing and twisting and stretching to loosen his muscles which were probably just as sore as Kurt's had been when he had first awoke that morning.

Kurt bit the inside of his cheek, suddenly filled with desire and want at the sight of Blaine. He shook his head, trying to shake the feeling, and went back to dealing with the bedding. He chanced a glance back at Blaine a moment later to see the boy bending down to pick up his costume from the night before.

"Use my robe," offered Kurt, pointing at where he had left it draped over his office chair.

Blaine took it and pulled it on before heading out of the room. Kurt knew that Blaine could probably work the shower, he had no problem working sinks, but he liked to do things for Blaine. Today, though, he'd let Blaine deal with it himself. Kurt threw his bedding in a laundry basket and went downstairs to start a load of laundry.

* * *

><p>Sunday was a good day with an extravagant homemade breakfast followed by a lazy afternoon. It was the first day of November but a person wouldn't know it by the warm temperature outside. Kurt lazed in the hammock on the back deck reading for hours while Burt and Finn yelled at the football game in the living room and Carole puttered around in her garden getting her plants ready for winter. At one point, Blaine had tried climbing into the hammock with Kurt, upsetting them both onto the ground. Kurt had laughed and quickly stole a kiss before telling Blaine to go bug someone else. Yes, Sunday had been a good day, but it had been short lived.<p>

All too soon, Kurt found himself walking through the front doors of McKinley High on Monday morning, nervously anticipating his downfall. Kurt had never been popular at school. He wasn't known by anyone besides his tormenters and his small group of friends. Other classmates might recognize him as 'that gay kid' if they even cared to notice him, but overall, Kurt didn't have much of a presence at McKinley. Apparently, though, all it took for that to change was a rumour that he was sleeping with his family's human pet.

The moment Kurt entered the school that moment, people's heads turned. He swallowed audibly, his pace faltering for a moment, but it was only for a moment and then his mask was back up at double intensity. Chin raised and expression haughty, Kurt strode down the hallway ignoring the whispers that followed him. Mercedes was waiting at his locker with a pitiful expression on her face.

"Oh Hun," she blurted when Kurt was at her side.

"I can't believe Quinn," was Kurt's response. "I know she's not been having a good year but I can't believe she'd actually do that, we were friends once."

He angrily worked the combination on his lock and flung open his locker door.

"What are you talking about, Kurt?" asked Mercedes.

Kurt pulled his head out of his locker and looked at Mercedes incredulously.

"Quinn," he stammered. "She told, didn't she? At the party after we left? I mean, that's what all these idiots are whispering about, right?"

"Oh, there are definitely some nasty rumours going around the school," replied Mercedes with a nod. "But Quinn didn't say anything. No one at the party said anything like that about you and Blaine."

"Really?"asked Kurt, surprised.

"Mike yelled at Puck after you left for being an _'idiot in front of Kurt's boyfriend,_'" explained Mercedes, her lips turning up a little as she recalled the scene. "But other than that, no one really said anything about you guys after you left."

"So," wondered Kurt, aloud. "Who started the rumour?"

"I don't know," replied Mercedes with a frown.

She watched as Kurt put his bag in his locker and got out the books he needed for his first class. Kurt was maintaining the confident air that he always did when he felt threatened, but he was completely transparent to his best friend.

"They are just rumours, Kurt," Mercedes tried to reassure him after he closed his locker and she linked her arm with his. "They'll die down soon enough and then someone else will be in the rumour mill spotlight."

Kurt wanted to take solace in her words, he really did, but the main problem was that the rumours were true. He was used to being something of a social outcast considering he was the only 'out' gay kid in the school, but this just seemed so much worse. He couldn't help that he was gay and even though so many people considered it wrong and disgusting, he didn't have a doubt in his mind that it was them who was wrong. In this case, though, he was a little more sensitive.

"Kurt," called out Rachel from behind them.

Mercedes and Kurt stopped to wait for her to catch up.

"Kurt," she exclaimed, a little out of breath. "I just wanted to say that I think your unconventional relationship is beautifully tragic, like Heloise and Aberlard. It would make an amazing Broadway musical one day, better even than The Phantom of the Opera. Can you imagine the..."

"Rachel!" snapped Mercedes, cutting her off before she could get completely lost in her own ramblings.

"Sorry," replied Rachel a little more sombrely. "Kurt, what I mean to say is; you have our support."

"Thanks, Rachel," murmured Kurt, attempting a smile.

She linked her arm with Kurt's free one and, together, the three of them strode down the hallway, ignoring the looks of their fellow student body members and the whispers. Mercedes and Rachel dropped Kurt off at his first class, each kissing him on the cheek and giving him a quick hug before leaving to head off to their own morning classes.

* * *

><p>Kurt practically fled the classroom when the bell for lunch rang. Every time he walked into one of his classes that morning, the room had gone completely silent as he walked to his desk. Kids would glance at him warily and then turn to their friends and chat quietly. By the last class before lunch, he was one whispered conversation away from faking an illness so he could go home, or at least to the nurse. He knew, though, that the rumours would be there waiting for him, so there was no point in running away from it. He would keep his head up, go to his classes, and pretend it didn't bother him.<p>

But, it bothered him. A lot.

Puck was waiting for him at his locker when he reached it to drop off his books before heading to the cafeteria. Kurt slowed his pace when he saw him, unsure of what to expect. Now that it was obvious Kurt was a total creep, maybe Puck had decided to start bullying him again. He had gotten past the whole 'gay thing' but perhaps this was too much.

"Hey," he said simply.

"Hi, Noah," replied Kurt, not making eye contact.

Kurt opened his locker and set his books inside.

"I just wanted to say sorry," spoke Puck, looking down at the floor nervously.

Kurt froze.

"What? Why?" he asked, turning to stare incredulously at Puck.

"For... for Saturday night," responded Puck, leaning close so other people wouldn't hear.

"I thought you were too drunk to have remembered that," laughed Kurt, mirthlessly.

"Look, you're an attractive guy," spoke Puck in a hushed tone, glancing around them to make sure no one was listening. "But I was just really drunk. I'm not gay or anything..."

"So, you didn't actually come to apologize," cut in Kurt, his voice deadpanned. "You just want to make sure I won't tell anyone."

"Hey," snapped Puck, fighting to keep his voice down. "Don't be like that, I'm not a total douche, you know. I _am_ sorry and I hope I didn't, like, ruin things with your boyfriend or anything."

"My boyfriend?" sputtered Kurt.

"Yeah," replied Puck, nodding and giving Kurt a look that definitely meant 'are you high?'

"What planet are you from?" asked Kurt in disbelief. "Haven't you heard all the rumours?"

"Well, yeah," shrugged Puck. "I mean, who hasn't?"

Kurt grimaced.

"But that doesn't mean I believe them," continued Puck. "I mean, last week they were saying Anna McMinster was born with a tail."

Kurt couldn't help but laugh; it was true, the rumour mill could put out some really stupid stories.

"Blaine sure didn't seem like some stupid house pet at the party," stated Puck. "He was quiet, but it wasn't like he was going around asking for belly rubs or anything. People just don't want you to be happy because they are bigoted jackasses."

Kurt could feel his heart swell at Puck's words. Sure, Puck was a little misguided seeing as Blaine actually _was_ a house pet and at home he _did_ go around asking for belly rubs, and it had stung when he had said '_like some stupid house pet'_ but he cared and he wasn't going to just believe the worst of Kurt. Puck was probably right, too, if Kurt had been dating some regular guy, there would still be nasty rumours floating around the school about them.

"Thanks," said Kurt, smiling brightly at him.

"Yeah," answered Puck with a shrug, trying to go for nonchalance. "So, we're good?"

"We're good," confirmed Kurt with a nod.

"Cool," replied Puck with a small smile as he reached his fist out for Kurt to bump. "See you 'round, Hummel."

Kurt couldn't help but smile as he walked to the cafeteria to meet up with Mercedes for lunch.

* * *

><p>"Hey, Kurt!" called out Brittany.<p>

Kurt was just walking into the school on Tuesday morning, the whispers were still there but after surviving Monday, he felt a little better about the ordeal. He looked over at the blonde as she was suddenly walking at his side.

"Hi Brit," he replied.

"So, I was thinking," she said as they walked together. "Maybe we could go on a double date sometime."

"What?" questioned Kurt.

"Yeah, Lord Tubbington has been complaining that I never take him out anymore," she explained with a grimace. "So, like, we could meet at Breadstix tomorrow night and you could bring your..."

"C'mon, Brittany," cut in Santana, appearing as if from nowhere.

She grabbed onto Brittany's arm and tugged her away from Kurt all while giving him the most disgusted of looks. Kurt winced.

"Think about it, okay Kurt?" called back Brittany as she allowed Santana to pull her away.

Kurt shook his head as if that could rid him of the memory of what he had just experienced. What Brittany said really hadn't offended him considering it was Brittany, but the look Santana had given him, like he was the most despicable, disgusting creature to ever roam the planet, well, that was a little more disconcerting. So, perhaps Tuesday wasn't going to be any better than Monday.

He rounded the corner of the hallway and found himself staring down the hall at Tina who was kneeling in front of his locker with a bucket of soapy water. He sucked in a sharp breath before continuing down the hall toward her.

"Oh, Kurt," exclaimed Tina, looking guilty. "I kind of hoped to have this finished before you arrived."

"What's going on?" asked Kurt, trying to make out the word written in red across his locker that was half-washed off at that point.

"Some asshole defaced your locker," she answered before getting back to furiously scrubbing at it with a soapy sponge.

"What did it say?" asked Kurt, face white and lips drawn.

"What would be the point of my trying to wash it off before you got here if I told you that?" asked Tina, turning her back to him as she finished up.

"I don't think it was the jocks," said Rachel, walking up behind them with a roll of brown paper towel in her hand that she must have gotten from the washroom. "_I_ had to look the word up, so I doubt the jocks would have been smart enough to come up with it."

"What was it?" asked Kurt again.

Tina sighed in exasperation.

"Zoophile," she said with resignation.

"Zoophile," repeated Kurt before turning back to Rachel. "And you had to look that up? It seems pretty self explanatory."

"Calm down, Kurt," said Tina, trying to sound soothing. "Don't let these jerks make you feel bad. Okay?"

"Yeah," sighed Kurt, with a sigh as he looked up at the ceiling. "I'm sorry. Thanks so much for doing this for me, you two. At least this whole debacle has shown me how true my friends are. I'm sorry that Mercedes and I lied to you, Tina."

"Hey, it's okay," answered Tina, dropping the sponge into the bucket of water and standing so she could give Kurt a hug. "I understand why you did."

Tina let go of Kurt and turned to pick up her bucket, then. There was only a slight hint of red on the locker, now. You had to really be looking for it to see it. Rachel, who was using the paper towel to dry it, was now finished, too.

"We better get to class," she said. "I hope this blows over, soon, Kurt."

"Thanks," he answered with a small smile.

He watched as Tina and Rachel walked off before turning to work the combination lock on his locker. Suddenly an icy cold liquid splashed against the side of his face.

"How do you feel now, PERVERT?" hollered a voice.

Kurt didn't have to look to know the voice was Azimo's and he didn't have to turn to recognize the heavy footsteps and crude laughter of the group of jocks who had been his tormentors for the entirety of his highschool experience. Kurt raised a hand to wipe some of the dyed ice water from his face before sighing heavily and pulling some extra clothes from his bag before heading to the nearest bathroom.


	14. Chapter 14

**Title:** Man's Best Friend  
><strong>Pairings<strong>: Kurt/Blaine  
><strong>Rating<strong>: R  
><strong>Warnings:<strong> Pet!Blaine and all that entails  
><strong>Note<strong>: This story is a fill for a prompt at the Glee Kink Meme on livejournal.

* * *

><p><em>Chapter Fourteen<br>_

* * *

><p>He knew he should be afraid, or at least looking for an escape route, but a weird sense of calm always came over Kurt when he found himself in these situations. It wasn't that he was fearless; it was like he was having some sort of shock-induced, out-of-body experience. He was busy wondering how he even got into this position and how Azimo managed to walk around with his shoes untied all day and not trip and why that other guy, <em>what was his name again?,<em> didn't notice he still had food in his teeth from lunch. _Hopefully_, it was from lunch, and not from earlier. It looked a bit like broccoli and they actually didn't have anything with broccoli on Tuesday's menu.

"So, Kurt," spoke Dave Karofsky in a cocky voice as the other guys hoisted Kurt up against the wall by his arms. "After school on Thursday, I picked up my dad from work."

Kurt glowered at Dave wondering why he should care. _Oh right_, probably because these monsters were holding him up against the back wall of the school so Dave could tell him. Kurt winced as the rough bricks scratched at his back through his shirt.

"You see," continued Dave. "My Dad took his car in to your dad's shop last Tuesday. So, I had to drive him there to pick it up on Thursday. Anyway, while I was there, I noticed your _boyfriend_ was working in the shop. I guess he had been working there on Tuesday morning, too, since my dad had asked why he was there and not at school when he saw him. Your dad said he didn't go to school because... and this is the interesting part... he's not some kid, he's the family _pet_."

Suddenly it all made sense. Kurt was _almost_ relieved to finally know who had spilled the information to the whole school. He _would_ have been relieved if he wasn't in his current position.

"Not only is he a faggot," cried out one of the other guys right into Kurt's ear. "He's a freaking pervert!"

"Same thing, same thing," replied Dave, flippantly.

"Yeah," exclaimed Azimo. "In health class last year we learned that Aids came from having sex with monkeys. Gays have Aids. I think you know where I'm going with this..."

"Your skills of deduction are _astounding_," drawled Kurt, having finally found his voice.

"What are we gonna do with him, Dave?" asked one of the guys, excitement in his voice.

Kurt rolled his eyes.

"We'll rough him up a bit," replied Dave with a shrug. "Then we'll throw him in the dumpster cuz he's trash."

The other guys laughed heartily at this causing Kurt to roll his eyes again. Then he found himself suddenly gasping for breath after a large fist collided into his stomach, knocking the wind out of his lungs. His top half wretched forward as he tried to gather a breath.

"Just make sure you stay away from the face," Kurt could hear Dave's voice faraway. "We don't want any unwanted suspicion."

Kurt found himself wanting to ask Dave where he learned a word as big as '_suspicion_' but he was still trying to find a way to breathe. Another fist found his gut just a little lower than the last and Kurt felt his stomach churning like he might throw up. The sides of his vision were blurring but he could still see the snarling faces of his tormentors. He closed his eyes and tried to focus on something happier, as a few kicks to his shins and the side of his thigh caused him to drop to his knees.

"This is for having sex with _animals_ because no man would want you," cried out a voice before Kurt felt something hit him in between the legs. "Maybe you'll think twice before you shove your dick up some pet's ass!"

Kurt could hear himself gasping "_Blaine's not an animal_" but he couldn't see anything but white and red and dancing stars. The pain had completely numbed him to everything. He knew he should be feeling the pain down low, but all he could feel was the throbbing of his head and weird sensation growing in the pit of his stomach.

"AUGH, why the hell would you punch him in the junk?" sounded Dave's exclamation from some far off place.

"Cuz he's gross," replied another voice, it sounded unsure.

"You're so fucked up," replied Dave's voice in disgust. "Let's just go."

Kurt could hear footsteps leaving him where he had crumpled to the ground behind the school. He was wondering why they hadn't thrown him in the dumpsters. Then his body began to wretch.

* * *

><p>Kurt was faintly aware of the sound of the front door opening and closing and the voice of his father calling that he and Blaine were home. He wasn't sure how he had gotten home or how long he had been there. Struggling for a few moments to open his eyes, Kurt stretched his arm toward his night stand where his iPod was docked. The movement caused pain to swell through his entire body but he kept reaching until he turned on his music. The music would let his dad know that he was home and safe and probably doing homework in his room.<p>

He let his arm fall, then, and closed his eyes again. Time had no meaning. It could have been a moment later or it could have been two hours later, but he was suddenly aware of another presence in his room. He tried to blink open his eyes while wondering how he'd be able to look like he was fine when he wasn't even sure what he looked like or if he could talk.

The soft padding of feet on the floor and the sudden scent of his dad's shop made it obvious that it was Blaine who had come into Kurt's room. He was relieved. He heard a small hiss of air as if Blaine had gasped at the sight of him, but his eyelids were just too heavy to work open properly. The bed dipped beside him and a hand was softly pushing hair out of his face.

Kurt swallowed before opening his mouth to speak, the movement in his throat reminded him of all the vomiting he had done in the grass behind the school and he suddenly felt queasy again. He wanted to tell Blaine that _if he thought it was okay that he was sitting on Kurt's bed in work clothes, he had another thing coming_, but instead he just let out a pathetic groan. The bed shifted again and he felt Blaine's chest press against his back and arms wrap loosely around his torso. It was nice. He let out a small sigh and let himself relax.

Kurt opened his eyes when he heard pots and pans banging downstairs. He blinked a few times while he wondered idly why Carole always made so much noise when she prepared supper. _Supper_. Hours must have passed since Blaine and his dad had gotten home. Kurt focused his eyes and turned his head to look around the room. The light from outside was dim, now.

He could feel soft puffs of air against the back of his neck. Rolling over onto his back, Kurt winced at the way the muscles in his stomach clenched with the movement. Blaine was sleeping next to him, an arm draped over Kurt's chest and the other folded under his own head. Kurt reached to brush his finger tips over Blaine's forehead and down his cheek.

Blaine opened his eyes. He smiled when he saw Kurt looking back at him. He leaned forward and captured Kurt's lips in a sweet kiss before lying back to look into Kurt's eyes. His eyes were searching, like he was trying to ask Kurt something.

"I'll be okay," croaked Kurt, attempting to smile.

He moved to sit up but gasped and laid back down when his bruised abdominal muscles tightened. Blaine's forehead creased with concern. He sat and leaned over to gently push Kurt's shirt up. Blaine gasped when he saw the already purpling bruises on Kurt's stomach. Kurt tried to grab Blaine's shaking hands with his own, but his arms were stiff from having been held up against the school wall only hours earlier.

"Blaine," whispered Kurt, trying to get the boy to look at him.

When he finally caught sight of Blaine's honey hazel eyes, he saw they were filled with tears. Kurt sighed and forced himself to sit up, despite the pain. Ignoring his body's complaints, he wrapped his arms around Blaine and hugged him tight.

"Don't worry," he whispered softly. "Everything's okay, everything's going to be just fine."

He wondered if he was saying those words for Blaine or for himself.

* * *

><p>If Kurt had thought he was hated at McKinley High before, then there was no word to describe what he was now. Before it had mostly been the jocks who had bullied him, now everyone from the football team right down to the chess club had something cruel to say or do to him. Everyone had nasty little comments to throw at him as they passed him in the hallway, many people pushed him into lockers or pushed his books out of his hands, and some nerdy little twig of a boy had even had the guff to trip Kurt in the lunch line.<p>

Somehow he had managed to keep it from coming back home with him, though. Kurt had fought to hide the pain he was in from his short-lived beating behind the school on Tuesday, managed to secretly do extra loads of laundry on Wednesday due to the sheer volume of slushies he had already received that week, and was even able to talk Principal Figgins out of calling his dad when the rumour was brought to the teachers' attentions.

Still, Kurt wasn't sure how much longer he could handle the situation on his own. He was one slushy away from trading his wardrobe in for a selection of waterproof ponchos. His friends from glee club seemed to be the only kids in the whole student body who weren't completely offended by his presence. Mercedes, Tina and Rachel stuck to him like glue and Finn and Puck still treated him the same. Brittany wasn't fazed by it and, though Quinn made a few wise cracks now and then, she gave him no reason to think she was judging her. Mike was suddenly uncomfortable around Kurt, but he didn't say anything about it and Tina assured Kurt that he would come around. Santana, though, she was absolutely appalled and didn't try to hide it.

It was Thursday and Kurt had somehow managed to survive yet another day of hell at McKinley High. After being slushied on three different occasions in that one day (once by one of his regular tormentors, and two other times by people he didn't recognize), Kurt was ready for a shower. The first thing he did when he got home after taking off his shoes at the door and dropping his bag off in his room, was get into the shower. He took his time, letting the hot spray relax his sore muscles and beat dully against the multiple bruises on his back acquired from many a locker shove and dumpster toss. When the water was beginning to cool and he was certain there wasn't a hint of sticky slushy syrup on his skin, he turned off the shower and got out of the tub.

Blaine was waiting for him in his room when he arrived in his robe. He guessed that he must have spent a considerably longer time in the shower than he thought if Blaine was already home from working with his father at the shop. Kurt shut his bedroom door behind him and smiled tiredly at Blaine.

"Hi, Blaine," he greeted before turning to look through his dresser for something to wear.

He stopped digging through his drawers when he heard a 'pat pat pat' behind him. Blaine's mouth twitched into a half smile as he patted the bed where he was sitting, obviously beckoning for Kurt. Without hesitation, Kurt walked across the room and sat down. The moment he was seated, Blaine reached for him, wrapping his arms around him in a tug from behind. Kurt tensed but quickly relaxed in Blaine's arms.

"You always seem to know when I need one of those," commented Kurt, dreamily, as he raised his own arms to hug Blaine's against him.

Blaine leaned his head forward, craning his neck so he could kiss Kurt. The kiss was soft and chaste but filled with so much affection that Kurt could feel his heart speed up. He sighed lightly when they parted from the kiss.

"We should just live in my room together forever," suggested Kurt, wistfully. "We'll never be apart from each other and people will never bother us."

He could feel Blaine's arms tighten around his torso before Blaine leaned in for a second kiss that was just as perfect as the one before. Everything was stressful except for Blaine's touch. Everything was confusing and terrible except the press of Blaine's lips to his own. Everything hurt except for the feel of Blaine's body pressed to his. So, Kurt didn't object when Blaine's fingers slid between the sides of his robe to graze along his skin.

"I love you, Blaine," he whispered as he closed his eyes and laid back allowing Blaine to caress the bare skin of his chest.

Blaine pulled his robe open, and moved around him to sit straddling his thighs. Leaning in, he began to mouth down Kurt's chest starting at the base of his neck and working down to his hips. Kurt let out a long, low sigh just laying back and letting Blaine mouth over his skin, breathing him in as he went. Though Kurt really hadn't planned to say what he did, he didn't regret saying it once it was out. He didn't fully understand how, but he had meant it.

Kurt opened his eyes when Blaine's mouth and warm breath disappeared. He craned his neck to look up at him. After pulling off his work shirt, Blaine began unbuckling his jeans. He got up off Kurt to take them off, pulling his briefs down with them. Then he was completely nude and standing before Kurt. Inhaling deeply, Kurt looked him over with interest, his cheeks pinking as he did. Blaine smiled slightly as if he were happy with Kurt's reaction before he climbed back onto the bed. Kurt sat up and quickly pulled his arms from his robe as Blaine reached for him.

Blaine smelled like sweat, motor oil, and dust with soft undertones of shampoo and shaving cream, and for some reason, Kurt loved it. He found himself wondering what he smelled like to Blaine because the few times they were like this, Blaine spent a lot of time just breathing him in. It was a little strange, but amazingly intimate and it somehow made Kurt feel cherished, perhaps even more so than Blaine's hands and lips did.

Feather-light fingers stroked and danced along the soft skin of the inside of Kurt's arms, then jumped to his chest to draw designs down it and tickle at the sensitive skin of his hips and lower. Sucking in a sharp breath, Kurt felt his half-hard dick stiffen when Blaine's fingers traced it.

"_Blaine_," he managed to groan out, causing Blaine to look up.

They locked eyes for a moment, Kurt's filled with hunger and Blaine's startlingly soft. He crawled up Kurt's body so he was kneeling over him and leaned down to capture Kurt's lips. Sighing into Blaine's mouth, Kurt kissed him hard and needy and passionate as he threw his arms over his shoulders and clung to him.

"I love you," he whispered for the second time, as Blaine's lips withdrew from his.

Blaine couldn't understand the words; he probably had only heard the phrase a few times in his life and definitely never directed at him. He smiled lovingly at Kurt, though, and kissed down his neck before nuzzling his face into the crook. They laid together like that for a few minutes, Blaine's body draped over Kurt's, his face hidden in the crook of Kurt's neck, both of them just enjoying the other's presence.

Things changed quickly, soon after, though. Soon, Kurt found himself clutching and clawing at Blaine's back while Blaine sucked and nipped at his collarbone. Kurt pulled his knees up and Blaine settled his hips down between Kurt's legs. Their dicks brushed together lightly causing them both to gasp and suddenly they were pressing and rocking together.

Their heavy breathing and soft groans of pleasure blocked out all other sounds as they rutted together atop Kurt's bed. Nothing else existed to them, not even the sound of Burt's voice calling Kurt from the bottom of the stairs.

"Blaine, stop," gasped Kurt, suddenly.

He pushed Blaine up and the boy hovered over him giving him a quizzical expression and battling to catch his breath. Kurt closed his eyes tightly for a moment.

"I want this to last longer," he explained in a breathy whisper. "And if we keep doing that, it won't."

With that, Kurt leaned up and grabbed around Blaine's neck, pulling him down for a passionate kiss. Blaine hummed into the kiss before pressing his tongue into Kurt's mouth. When they pulled back, Blaine was mouthing down Kurt's body again, breathing deeply as he went.

Kurt let out a high-pitched keen that he struggled to muffle when Blaine's lips found the tip of his cock. Blaine stopped moving, just stayed there with his lips over the head. He breathed in deeply through his nose as if trying to take in all of Kurt's scent there, and then he was moving again, lapping his tongue against the very tip.

Kurt bit his lip, trying to keep from making noise, and desperately clenched his hands in the bedding. He was writhing as Blaine discovered his new favourite flavour. Blaine didn't take him all the way into his mouth, though, instead he mouthed down the length of Kurt's dick before licking a strip up it. Then he was back at sucking on the tip, his tongue swiping at the slit to gather more of the taste.

Heart beating in his ears, Kurt didn't hear the footsteps on the stairs or the second time his dad called his name. Blaine ran his lips down his cock again, mouthing at the soft velvet skin of his balls. Kurt worked at controlling his breathing, not wanting to pass out and miss this glorious moment. Blaine moved his mouth away, then, causing a sigh of relief and disappointment to escape Kurt.

In the next moment, a few things happened all at once –things that would forever change Kurt and Blaine's lives.

Kurt groaned out '_Blaine_' in a guttural voice that sounded either incredibly, needy and 'turned-on', or, to someone else, could possibly sound pained and panicked. At that same time, Blaine pounced up Kurt's body in a fit of passion, grabbing Kurt by the wrists and pressing them into the bed above Kurt's head. And, just as those two things happened, Burt pushed open Kurt's bedroom door and sucked in a sharp breath of surprise.


	15. Chapter 15

**Title:** Man's Best Friend  
><strong>Pairings<strong>: Kurt/Blaine  
><strong>Rating<strong>: R  
><strong>Warnings:<strong> Pet!Blaine, violence, typos and grammatical errors  
><strong>Note<strong>: This story is a fill for a prompt at the Glee Kink Meme on livejournal.

* * *

><p><em>Chapter Fifteen<br>_

* * *

><p>Kurt turned his head when he heard a gasp of surprise and suddenly emitted his own. Before he could react, though, his father was striding determinedly across the room, a look of fear and fury distorting the features of his face. He reached out and grasped Blaine by the hair on his head and ripped him backward off of Kurt's body. The surprised and pained whine that escaped Blaine as his eyes flew open would have broke Kurt's heart had he not be preoccupied with the panic rising up his throat like bile.<p>

"DAD!" screamed Kurt, scrambling to get up.

Burt pulled Blaine to his feet and away from the bed by his glossy brown curls. Not waiting for Blaine to gain his balance, Burt directed him to the far end of the room. Blaine's eyes were wide with confusion and shock. Kurt could see him fighting to understand the situation. Burt noticed Blaine's collar still sitting atop Kurt's tall dresser from where it had been left and forgotten weeks prior. One hand still grasping Blaine's hair, Burt grabbed for the collar and pulled it around Blaine's neck, letting go of Blaine's hair only to secure the collar in place.

"Dad," cried Kurt, again. "Please no!"

He realized he was naked, then, and reached down to pull the bathrobe over his shoulders. Being found in such a position would have been wildly embarrassing had it been any other scenario, but right then, the only thing on Kurt's mind was what would happen to Blaine.

"Carole!" hollered Burt, his knuckles turned white from holding onto Blaine's collar so tightly. "Carole! Call the home! Call the home right now!"

"What?" came the confused reply of Carole from downstairs.

"Call the home!" yelled Burt, again. "Tell them we're having an emergency! Call them now!"

"Emergency?" called back Carole. "Is Blaine alright?"

"CAROLE!" screamed Burt. "Call them! CALL THEM NOW! Tell them to pick up our pet! Tell them he's violent! Tell them we're in danger! Get them here now!"

Kurt could see tears in his father's eyes.

"Dad," Kurt tried. "Dad, it wasn't what it looked like."

"Wasn't what it looked like?" cried out Burt, turning his attention from the open door to Kurt. "Wasn't what it looked like! I just walked in on my son getting molested!"

"It's not like that," exclaimed Kurt, rushing toward Burt and Blaine.

"No!" cried out Burt, raising a hand. "Stay back, Kurt."

"They are on their way," called Carole from downstairs. "What's going on?"

They could hear Carole's footsteps begin coming up the stairs.

"Carole!" called down Burt, his voice sounding panicked. "Stay downstairs!"

Blaine let out a whine and tried to pull away from Burt's grasp, then. Heaving on the collar with all of his strength, Burt pulled Blaine backward until he hit the wall. Blaine gagged a few times and his eyes filled with tears.

"Don't hurt him," croaked Kurt. "Please."

"Get his pants and throw them here," demanded Burt.

Kurt did so, his legs and arms shaking. When Burt had them in his hands, he passed them to Blaine and commanded him to put them on.

"Dad," started Kurt, his voice breaking as he tried to speak. "Please let him go, he won't hurt anyone. Please, just let him go. Let's talk about this."

"There is absolutely nothing to talk about Kurt," replied Burt, his tone changing back and forth between anger and worry. "I walk in here to see this monster attacking you and you're covered in bruises. Some look fresh and some look a few days old. How long has he been doing this to you, Kurt? How long?"

Burt's voice broke on the last few words.

"You're my son," he began to blubber. "I'm supposed to keep you safe! You get bullied at school and there's little I can do about it, but then you come home to this? Why didn't you tell me what was going on, Kurt? I knew I should have pressed further about that hickey..."

Just then, they heard a vehicle pull up and doors open and slam.

"Dad," exclaimed Kurt, panic rising in his throat again. "Dad, you have to believe me. This wasn't like that. Blaine would never hurt me."

Burt wasn't listening, though. Blaine had his pants on now and Burt began to pull him out of Kurt's room and down the stairs by the leather around his neck.

Kurt pulled out a pair of jeans and jumped up and down while he tried to quickly pull them on. He left the undone and pulled on a shirt before grabbing Blaine's shirt from the floor and practically falling over himself as he ran down the stairs.

Two men wearing grey scrub-like uniforms were hooking leather and chain leashes to Blaine's collar. Blaine's entire frame was shaking with nerves, but he was standing quietly for them. Burt was talking to a woman holding a clipboard. She was writing as he spoke, her glasses sliding down her nose.

Everyone looked up when they heard Kurt thundering down the stairs. The woman smiled stiffly at Kurt before going back to writing. Seeing Kurt, Blaine let out a whine and moved toward him. The men holding him pulled back on the leashes roughly causing him to stagger and choke.

"What the hell?" yelled Kurt, throwing the shirt on the floor. "Don't you dare treat him like that! He didn't do anything wrong!"

Kurt rushed at one of the men but Burt was quick to stop him.

"Calm down, Kurt," he said firmly. "Go sit with Carole."

Tears were welling up in Kurt's eyes, but he glanced over at the living room where Carole was sitting on the couch. Her face was white and she had her arms wrapped around herself. Kurt glanced back at the scene in the kitchen. Blaine was giving him a pleading look and it wrenched at Kurt's heart. Kurt choked back a sob and stumbled toward Carole. She caught him as he almost fell onto the couch and he allowed her to wrap her arms around him.

"Everything's going to be okay, Kurt," she whispered. "You're safe, now."

Kurt ripped himself away when he heard her words.

"What about Blaine?" he cried out, his heart working at beating itself out of his chest. "What's going to happen to Blaine?"

"We'll take him to a place where they can better take care of his special needs," spoke the woman as she clipped her pen to her clipboard.

"What does that even mean?" asked Kurt, his voice trembling.

She ignored his question and, instead, scooped Blaine's shirt up from the floor and passed it to one of the men holding Blaine captive.

"Ready to go?" the woman asked the two men who were holding Blaine.

At their nods, she strode out of the kitchen, through the entry and out the front door without so much as a goodbye. The two men followed her, pulling Blaine with them. He was apprehensive at first, staring at Kurt with his big honey hazel eyes, but the collar pulled at his throat and he stumbled after the men. They stopped at the entry so Blaine could slip his shoes on and then were leading him down the front steps.

Kurt's heart kept moving to the bottom of his stomach up to his throat and then plummeting back down again. He felt dizzy and sick and everything seemed to be moving really fast and really slow at the same time.

Suddenly he found himself staggering down the front steps with his father chasing after him. The men were opening side the doors of the black van to put Blaine inside. Burt's arms came around Kurt's to hold him back. Kurt fought against Burt's hold but soon found himself going lax and falling to his knees sobbing.

"I love him," cried Kurt. "I love him and you're taking him away."

"You don't know what you're saying," spoke Burt, his arms still around Kurt's. "You're in shock and you've been the victim of..."

"No," cried out Kurt, his voice rising and becoming more shrill. "I love him! I love Blaine! Blaine! BLAINE!"

Blaine turned his head at the sound of his name. He grew frantic when he saw Kurt sobbing while Burt held him back by his arms. He lunged with all his body weight toward Kurt only to be choked by the collar around his neck. He grabbed the leashes in each hand and pulled on them trying to get them free from the men's hands. One man dropped the leash being surprised by Blaine's sudden jolt. He swore and leapt forward, grabbing Blaine by the shoulders. Blaine fell down onto one knee but was quick to squirm out of the man's grasp. The other man pulled on his leash causing Blaine to choke and gag and reach to the collar to try to pull it away from his throat.

"Don't hurt him!" screamed Kurt, struggling against Burt's hold again.

"Get the tranquilizer!" hollered the man still holding Blaine's leash.

"No!" cried out Kurt, ripping out of Burt's grasp and running forward.

"KURT!" exclaimed Blaine, stretching his arms out toward him.

Everyone froze. The man holding Blaine's leash dropped it in surprise. Now free, Blaine stumbled forward, rushing to Kurt.

"Kurt," he sobbed out as they reached each other.

Their bodies collided like a clap of thunder and they fell to the ground with their arms wrapped around each other. Blaine clutched tightly to Kurt, his entire body shaking with fear and adrenaline.

"I love you," whispered Kurt, pressing trembling lips to Blaine's neck.

* * *

><p>His bed still smelled a little like Blaine.<p>

Kurt rolled over and covered his head with his duvet. The skin on his face felt too tight from the dried tears. He just wanted to go to sleep and wake up the next morning to find that everything had just been a terrible nightmare.

Every time he closed his eyes, though, the scene of the two men pulling Blaine from his arms and sticking a thick needle into his neck would flash through his mind. He hated reliving the horror of watching Blaine go from crying and grabbing for Kurt as they dragged him backward across the lawn to completely limp in their arms as the tranquilizer quickly took effect.

Kurt clutched at his pillow as another wave of tears took him over.

There was a soft knocking at his door. Kurt wiped the tears from his face with the back of his hand and sniffled a little.

"Go away," he croaked out.

The door opened and his father stepped into the room.

"I'm not talking to you," Kurt informed him, trying to keep his voice level but it was in vain.

"Kurt," sighed Burt, sitting down on the end of Kurt's bed. "I understand that you're upset."

"You DO NOT understand," exclaimed Kurt, sitting up abruptly. "There is no way in HELL that you could possibly understand!"

"Well then help me to understand, Kurt," snapped Burt, looking at him with piercing eyes. "Because I'm going crazy here trying to piece together exactly what has been going on."

"Blaine would never hurt me, Dad," spoke Kurt after a long silence.

"Then, what are all those bruises from?" asked Burt, sharply.

"Depends," replied Kurt, clasping his hands tightly together in his lap.

"Depends on what?" Burt was getting impatient.

"On which ones," answered Kurt lifting his shirt to show Burt the ones on his stomach. "These are from the jocks punching me in the stomach after school on Tuesday."

Kurt twisted, then, and pulled the back of his shirt up as high as he could.

"These are from being pushed into lockers at school on various occasions," he continued, his voice angry.

He pointed at a few long, flat bruises on his side.

"These are from being tossed into dumpsters," he said before leaning down to roll up his pants. "These and a few on my thighs are also from Tuesday when the jocks were punching and kicking me."

He pushed his pant leg down harshly and glared up at his dad, then.

"Not a single one of them is from Blaine," he finished.

Kurt winced when he saw the tears prickling his dad's eyes; he had really been giving his dad too much information about his school life lately. He had always tried to shelter his dad from the worst of it, but so much information had come out in October when he had lied about the hickey, and now there was this.

"Why didn't you ever tell me how bad it was getting?" asked Burt, his words coming out choked.

"It's like you said, Dad, there's not a lot you can do about it," replied Kurt with a shrug.

"When did I say that?" questioned Burt defensively.

"A few hours ago when you were tearing a beautiful boy out of my arms," snapped Kurt, his angry glare returning.

"Out of your arms?" exclaimed Burt. "Kurt, he was pouncing on top of you and holding you down while you were crying out for him to stop."

"I was _not_ crying out for him to stop," replied Kurt, crossing his arms and lifting his chin. He glowered at the ceiling as he willed away the bright flush taking over his cheeks. "I definitely had not wanted him to stop."

Burt cleared his throat uncomfortably and looked down at the duvet on Kurt's bed.

"So," he started lamely. "You and Blaine..."

"Completely consensual," cut in Kurt with a quick nod of his head.

"Why, Kurt?" asked Burt, looking up to meet his eyes. "Why? I know you've been lonely but..."

"I don't know, Dad," ranted Kurt, cutting him off before he said anything that might hurt. "I know it isn't what you'd call a normal relationship but..."

"Normal relationship?" exclaimed Burt. "Kurt, he's the house pet. How could you possibly believe that anything you had with him was a _relationship_?"

"No one understands," whispered Kurt, pressing his fists into his eyes. "I can't explain it and no one cares anyway, they just want to judge me."

"What?" asked Burt, leaning closer to Kurt. "What do you mean?"

"This week has been hell," spoke Kurt, his voice trembling at the sudden ability to share his pain with his father. "Absolute hell. One of the neanderthals who have been making my life difficult since the beginning of highschool was at your shop last week. He saw Blaine and recognized him and then he told the whole school that I was... with our pet. Everyone has been calling me names, pushing me, shoving me, beating me, wrecking my stuff, slushying me, painting obscene words on my locker... everything, since Monday. Not just my regular bullys, Dad, _everyone._"

"Why didn't you tell me, Kurt?" quavered Burt, reaching to grasp Kurt by the shoulders.

"So you could react the same way?" asked Kurt. "So you could judge me?"

"How do you know I would...?" started Burt but Kurt was quick to cut him off.

"You practically called ANIMAL CONTROL when you found out, Dad," exclaimed Kurt, violently shrugging Burt's hands off his shoulders. "You assumed the worst, just like everyone else, and you had him drugged and taken away in chains!"

"Kurt," sighed Burt, rubbing a hand over his head. "How do you expect me to know what's going on when you don't actually tell me? How do you want me to react to walking in on something like that?"

"By listening!" cried Kurt. "Dad, I tried to tell you it wasn't what you thought. I tried to tell you that Blaine hadn't hurt me! You wouldn't listen! You wouldn't listen and now he's gone. He never did anything wrong. He was always trying to be his best for you, for our whole family. He would do anything for me. I love him and I know he loves me. I don't care if it's strange or hard to understand, it's there and it's real."

Burt closed his eyes and breathed in a long, deep breath before letting it out through his nose.

"Kurt," he said, finally. "I am going to try to push the image of you two out of my mind and then I'm going to remind myself that you are an intelligent and level-headed young man who I have great respect for..."

"Dad," Kurt warned.

"He's a pet, Kurt," exclaimed Burt, losing his composure yet again.

"He's a human being," countered Kurt, pounding his fists into the bed. The effect was lost because of their soft landing, but his frustration was obvious. "You've been working with him at the shop for about two weeks, now. You should _know _he isn't... he's not... there's more to him than that!"

Burt set his jaw and ground his teeth. He remained silent for a while, a contemplative look on his face.

"So," he started. "You promise me that Blaine wasn't molesting you or attacking you or anything. Promise me that he wouldn't take advantage of you or try..."

"I promise," cut in Kurt. "Now what?"

"We'll go down to the home and see if we can straighten this out," sighed Burt. "We'll deal with your being_ inappropriate_ later, but if this wasn't Blaine's fault then he shouldn't be punished."

Kurt immediately sprung up from his bed and strode to his door.

"Let's go," he called over his shoulder as he stepped into the hallway.

Burt stiffly stood and followed Kurt out of the room. Kurt was already pulling his jacket on and stepping into his shoes when Burt made it to the entry.

"We're going out, Carole," Burt called out as he reached for his keys on the hook by the door.

* * *

><p>Puck's old beat up car pulled into their driveway with the music blaring just as Kurt and his dad stepped out of the house. The car rolled to a stop and Finn got out and waved as Puck backed out of the driveway and left again just as quickly as he had come. Kurt ignored Finn and got into the passenger side of his dad's pickup truck.<p>

"Where are you guys going?" asked Finn, happily, as he walked up the sidewalk.

"We had a bit of an incident," replied Burt as he reached the driver's door of his truck. "We're headed to the home to get Blaine."

"What?" spat out Finn in confusion.

"It's a long story," sighed Burt. "We'll talk later."

"No way, I'm coming with you guys," exclaimed Finn, jogging to the passenger side of the truck and opening it. "Kurt, move over."

"There won't be room for Blaine if you come," said Kurt.

"He can sit on your lap," replied Finn without missing a beat. "I'm coming."

"Fine," exhaled Kurt in irritation. "Whatever, let's just get going."

Burt turned on the ignition and backed out of the driveway. They drove down the road in silence, but Kurt could tell Finn was dying to say something.

"What, Finn?" asked Kurt, finally.

"What?"

"You want to say something," explained Kurt.

"Why's Blaine at The Home?" blurted Finn.

Burt and Kurt exchanged an awkward glance. Burt cleared his throat but didn't say anything.

"Dad walked in on Blaine and me," said Kurt. "He didn't react well."

"Seriously?" exclaimed Finn in surprise. "He walked in on you guys doing..."

"There was nudity," snapped Kurt, trying to make Finn shut up.

"That bites," spoke Finn, nodding his head. "So, how'd he get to the home?"

"Finn," started Burt, his voice sounded overly careful and collecting. "You don't seem surprised."

"Oh, yeah, uhhh..." stammered Finn, reaching to run a hand through his hair nervously.

"Finn knows," admitted Kurt, saving Finn from having to. "Blaine doesn't really know how to be inconspicuous."

"I'm just glad I didn't have to find out how you did, Burt," laughed Finn, nervously.

"You knew about it and you didn't tell me," asked Burt, his voice raising. "You knew about Blaine and I'm assuming you knew about the rumours at school and the bullying because of it. You didn't think that this was something you should tell me about?"

"Dad, I made him swear not to tell," spoke Kurt.

"Some secrets shouldn't be kept," spoke Burt, glancing sideways at the two boys. "Not when situations get out of hand."

Burt paused and the vehicle was silent except for the turning signal that he flicked on before turning a corner.

"Kurt," started Burt, after they had driven a few blocks in silence. "You're not going to school tomorrow."

"Can I be grounded from school, too?" asked Finn.

Burt had to look over at Finn's face to make sure he wasn't being a 'smart ass' but the tall teen's facial expression was genuine. Kurt was rolling his eyes.

"We'll see," was all Burt managed to say.

Minutes later they pulled up to an older house downtown. It was small and quaint and at least a hundred years old but had been renovated. There were a few of the old houses downtown that were used as businesses, but this one stood out in Kurt's mind because of the link between it being an actual house and what everyone called it; 'the home'. The white flower boxes in the front windows were filled with colourful, cheerful flowers in the summer time, but it was November and they held nothing but dirt and dried-out clusters of what used to be flowers.

Kurt was quick to unbuckle his seat belt and get out of the truck. He jogged up the short handicap ramp instead of taking the stairs and pulled open the door. A little bell tinkled over his head as he stepped into the building. The front of the building was a waiting room with a built-in secretary's desk in the centre. The woman behind the desk looked up when Kurt came in.

"Where's Blaine?" he exclaimed as he reached the counter.

The woman gave him an alarmed and confused look. She opened her mouth like she was going to question him, but Burt and Finn walked up to the counter.

"We have a pet here," started Burt, putting a calming hand on Kurt's shoulder. "They picked him up from our place a few hours ago."

"Name?" she asked, moving her mouse and clicking open a file on her computer.

"Blaine!" exclaimed Kurt, leaning against the counter and trying to peer around at her computer monitor. "I already said that. Blaine."

The woman gave him a perturbed look and opened her mouth to speak but closed it when Burt spoke.

"Burt Hummel," said Burt, giving Kurt a stern look.

Kurt flushed a little and took a step back from the front desk.

"Dude, chill out," whispered Finn, coming to stand next to Kurt.

"Burt Hummel," repeated the woman, thoughtfully as she clicked through a few things on her computer. "Oh yes, you have adoption certificate number 3056. Your pet, _Blaine_, was brought in after an emergency call this afternoon?"

"Yes," confirmed Burt. "We want to see him, if that's alright."

"We want to take him home," countered Kurt, angrily.

"It says that he's been moved," spoke the woman, her forehead creasing. "I'll just go check with one of the staff in the back to be sure."

"Thank you," replied Burt.

He motioned for Finn and Kurt to sit down on the chairs.

"What did she mean, moved?" asked Kurt in a shrill whisper.

"Calm down, Kurt," replied Burt. "We'll just have to wait to find out."

Kurt's legs wouldn't stop shaking and he couldn't seem to make himself sit still as they waited. He glanced around the room. It looked like the front of any average office, except for the quaint little windows that gave away that they were in an old house. The walls were wallpapered with hideous cream and green 1990s wallpaper and the music playing softly in the background came from some easy-listening radio station that only played outdated songs that were never good.

Bored, Finn stood and walked up to one of the framed photos on the wall. He shoved his hands in his pockets and studied the photos with more interest than necessary.

"Why do they have a bunch of photos of a farm on the walls?" asked Finn after a few moments.

"That's our local Tasking Farm," explained the woman who had just returned. "Mr. Hummel, I'm sorry but your pet isn't here."

"What?" exclaimed Kurt, jumping to his feet.

"They've moved him to another location," said the woman, simply.

"Where?" asked Kurt, rushing the desk she had resituated herself at.

"Why?" asked Finn, looking away from the photos.

"I'm not at liberty to give out that information," replied the woman in a monotone voice.

"Why not, he's ours, isn't he?" asked Burt, also beginning to look and sound upset.

"In situations like yours," began the woman, looking at them over the top of her computer monitor. "They adoption is considered null once the pet has been reclaimed by the home. I'm sorry Mr. Hummel."

"You are _not_, sorry," exclaimed Kurt, banging his hands down on her desk.

"So, if we wanted him back," started Burt, frowning. "How could we go about readopting him?"

"That's never been an issue before," replied the woman as she clicked away with her mouse and then began typing on her keyboard. "I'll give you his Identification number and perhaps you can find a way to track him down, but I really can't give you any other information, sir."

"Okay," sighed Burt. "Okay, thank you."

She clicked a few more times with her computer mouse and then wrote a number down on a piece of paper. Handing it to Burt, she gave him a tight smile.

"I hope everything works out for you," she said.

"Thanks," replied Burt, looking at the number on the paper before pushing it into his pocket.


	16. Chapter 16

**Title:** Man's Best Friend  
><strong>Pairings<strong>: Kurt/Blaine  
><strong>Rating<strong>: R  
><strong>Warnings:<strong> Pet!Blaine, typos and grammatical errors  
><strong>Note<strong>: This story is a fill for a prompt at the Glee Kink Meme on livejournal.

* * *

><p><em>Chapter Sixteen<br>_

* * *

><p>The sun had set by the time they arrived home. Wordlessly, Kurt had left everyone to go up to his room. He could hear Carole telling Finn and his dad that supper was in the refrigerator and they could heat it up if they were hungry as he dragged himself up the stairs. When he reached his bedroom door, he paused, leaning his shoulder against the door frame. His shoulders began to shake as a wave of tears threatened him.<p>

Taking a deep breath, he straightened and turned to walk across the hall to Finn's room. He pulled off the blue blanket that was on Blaine's empty bed and carried it with him to his room. He wrapped it tightly around himself before climbing into his own bed.

He was surrounded by the smell of Blaine, and the blanket was wrapped tight enough around his torso that if he closed his eyes, he could pretend Blaine's arms were there, holding him. Kurt breathed in a shuddering breath and tried to let his mind go blank. He was exhausted, emotionally and physically. So many things had happened that day, so many terrible things. His heart was sore. His eyes hurt from tears. His throat hurt from yelling and from crying. He was a mess and he just wanted to drift to sleep, but his mind was filling with all sorts of terrifying scenarios as to where Blaine had been taken.

Kurt rolled onto his side and curled into himself, giving up and allowing the waves of tears and sobs overtake him. He cried until the tears bled dry and he fell asleep lying in the mess of his shattered heart.

He awoke late the next morning to the ringing of his cell phone. Kurt blinked open his eyes as he was pulled from his dream of running away with Blaine, sleeping curled up in his arms under the stars, and finding a place to live in New York where they could be safe in their anonymity. His room was bright with the late morning sun causing him to squint and press his palms to his forehead. His cell phone was still ringing. He groaned and untangled himself from his blankets so he could get his cell from his desk.

"Hello?" he croaked into the phone.

"Kurt!" exclaimed Mercedes through the cell speaker. "Where are you?"

"At home," he replied, rubbing at his face.

"Why? Are you sick?" she asked. "I haven't seen Finn, either, so I couldn't ask him where you were. I was worried, Hun."

Kurt sniffled as his reality hit him.

"What's wrong?" asked Mercedes.

"Blaine," he sighed out through his cracked voice. "They took him away, 'Cedes. Dad found out and he had them take Blaine away."

"Oh No," sounded Mercedes' reply.

"He's gone and I don't know where they took him," sobbed Kurt as his emotions rose up his sore throat. "We went to the home to find him and the lady there said they had relocated him. She wouldn't tell me where. She sat at her computer, knowing exactly where he was, but she wouldn't tell me. She wouldn't tell me."

"Okay, okay, Baby," Mercedes tried to sooth, but her own voice was shaking. "Don't cry, we'll figure this out. We'll get him back."

"It's impossible," exclaimed Kurt, clenching his free hand into a fist and hitting his wall.

Pain shot up his arm from his wrist, but somehow it felt good. He leaned forward and rested his forehead on his arm as his shoulders began to quake for the millionth time in the last twelve hours. Everything was quiet. Kurt took in a deep breath, trying to calm himself.

"What are you going to do, 'Cedes?" he asked quietly.

"I'm going to talk with a few people," she said thoughtfully. "And I will call you back later, okay?"

"Okay," said Kurt, sniffling.

"Shush," cooed Mercedes. "We'll get him back, I know we will."

"Good bye, Mercedes," said Kurt.

"Later, Kurt," she replied, her voice was soft and caring.

Kurt touched the 'end call' button and walked back to his bed, dropping the phone and crawling back under his cocoon of covers. He wanted to do something. Just laying there when Blaine was missing was driving him crazy, but he had absolutely no idea what he could even do or where to start. His chest hurt. Sniffling softly in the quiet room, he burrowed down into the blankets and tried to forget.

* * *

><p>When Kurt woke again it was to the sound of voices. He rolled over and sat up, rubbing at his tear stained face. He needed a shower, badly.<p>

"Okay, so, Blaine really was your guys' pet?" he heard a voice ask.

It sounded like Puck.

Kurt pulled himself out of bed and crept to his door.

"...and Burt walked in on them and flipped out. He called the home and had them come pick up Blaine."

That had to be Finn's voice.

"Wait, wait, wait," cut in Puck. "So, Blaine's a house pet."

"Yes," exclaimed a frustrated voice that sounded very much like Mercedes.

"Well, fuck," sounded Puck's voice. "And now he's gone?"

"When Kurt talked Burt into going to the home to get him back," explained Finn's voice. "Blaine had been moved somewhere else. They wouldn't tell us where."

"Poor Baby," said Mercedes. "I hope he's okay."

"How's Kurt doing?" asked another voice.

Kurt closed his eyes and tried to place it. It was so familiar. Kurt thought a few moments and then opened his eyes when he realized it was Artie.

"He hasn't come out of his room today," answered Finn, his voice sounded worried.

"So, what's the plan, guys?" demanded Mercedes.

"Okay, so, they have all the information in the computer at the home," started Finn. "And the lady gave us Blaine's ID number. So, I say that tonight we break in..."

Kurt pushed his door open, then, and stepped into the hall. Finn's bedroom door was open just a crack and Kurt could hear his voice coming from there.

"And what do you need me for?" asked Artie.

Everyone looked up from where they were sitting in a partial circle on Finn's bed (Artie next to it in his wheelchair), when Kurt pushed open Finn's door.

"Oh, Kurt," exclaimed Mercedes, instantly to her feet and rushing to him. "How are you doing?"

"What's going on?" asked Kurt, allowing Mercedes to hug him tightly.

"We're gonna find Blaine," answered Puck, grinning widely.

* * *

><p>Kurt stared out of the passenger seat window where he sat in his Navigator. Finn was drumming his thumbs on the steering wheel nervously.<p>

"Do you see him?" asked Mercedes in a whisper, leaning forward from the seat behind Kurt to look out the window with him.

"Not yet," replied Kurt.

"Give him time," said Artie from beside Mercedes. "He'll get in."

"So, when he opens the front door," started Finn, going over their plan. "I'll help you get Artie out and then you guys will go in. Mercedes and I will wait out here while Artie gets onto their computer to figure out where they took Blaine. Then you guys'll all come out and I'll drive us outta here."

"Yes, Finn," sighed Kurt in exasperation. "For the hundredth time, yes."

"Sorry, just nervous," murmured Finn.

"Okay, there he is," hissed Kurt, unbuckling his seat belt and pushing his door open.

Finn quickly jumped out of the driver's side and opened the door behind his to get Artie out. Kurt unfolded Artie's wheel chair and brought it around.

"Good luck, guys," whispered Finn as Kurt pushed Artie up the sidewalk to the old house.

Kurt glanced around the darkened street as he reached the front door of the Home. Everything was quiet. When they reached the front door, Puck helped direct Artie's wheel chair through.

"Alright," whispered Artie. "Where's the computer?"

Puck wheeled Artie over behind the big built-in desk and Artie was quick to set to work on getting it up and running. Kurt paced the room impatiently.

"Password protected, of course," muttered Artie before he began typing at the keyboard. "And, we're in. Kurt, do you have the ID number?"

With quick strides, Kurt was at his side and passing him the paper with Blaine's ID number written on it.

"Dude, how'd you get in so fast?" asked Puck incredulously.

"There's three passwords that every business, it seems, use," explained Artie as he searched through the computer. "The name of the business, the boss' name, or, the most common and the one that got us in, 1234."

"That's crazy," muttered Puck.

"Well, they usually have so many different people using the computer that they need a password easy to remember, I guess," whispered Artie with a shrug as he clicked open a few windows on the computer.

Puck plunked down on a computer chair and began spinning around aimlessly while Kurt went back to pacing the front, every so often stopping to check out the window.

"Aha," exclaimed Artie under his breath. "Found the pet database."

Puck and Kurt both perked and moved to Artie's sides, leaning over his shoulders to look at the screen.

"Okay, ID number is 5056," whispered Artie to himself as he scrolled through the long list of numbers. "Five, five, five, five... there we go... fifty six... fifty... aha, found him."

Puck put his fist out to Kurt to bump and Kurt wasn't reluctant in returning it.

"Oh," breathed Artie.

"Oh?" exclaimed Kurt with a rush of breath. "What does 'oh' mean?"

"See how all these are clickable?" asked Artie gesturing to the numbers around Blaine's number with his mouse.

Kurt looked at the list. The first column was the ID numbers, the second was gender, the third was another number that supposedly was a code for their birth place, the fourth was their date of birth, and the fifth was their blood type. All the ID numbers were black and underlined, Blaine's was grey and not underlined.

Artie clicked on the ID number above Blaine's and it opened up another window with information about that pet. There was an entire table of stats, a recent photo, and when Artie scrolled down, there was another table with information about their adoption. Kurt looked over the page before Artie closed it and went back to the list of ID numbers.

"Why," started Kurt in a whisper, his throat feeling dry. "Why do you think his isn't clickable?"

Puck and Artie shared a look, but said nothing. Kurt felt like he was going to be sick.

"It could mean anything, Kurt," whispered Puck, grabbing Kurt's shoulder as he began to sway on his feet. "I know what you're thinking, and it might not be that."

"I'm just going to do a database search with Blaine's ID number," croaked Artie around an obvious lump in his throat. "Maybe we can turn something else up."

Kurt nodded silently. He straightened his stance, pulling away from Puck's hand on his shoulder. His stomach was lodged in his throat. He took a few steps, trying to clear the panic from his chest, when he noticed the heavy door leading to the back area of the Home.

Pushing open the door, Kurt reached around to feeling for a light switch. Flicking on the lights, he squinted until his eyes adjusted to the sudden brightness of the fluorescent lights overhead. It was a clinically white room with a hall stretching to the back wall of the building and divided stall-like rooms on each side. Kurt walked down the hall, looking through the glass window of each room as he went. They were small identical rooms. Each room contained a bunk bed, a toilet and a sink. The rooms would have been incredibly depressing save for the cheery cartoon murals painted on the walls of each room.

Kurt set his jaw as he peered into dimly lit room after room with little bodies curled up in each bed. The children looked to be between the ages of 5 and 10. They were alone. What if they were sick in the night? What if they had nightmares? This was no way to treat children.

Balling his fists at his sides, Kurt walked to the end of the line of rooms and peered into the last room. There was a sign on the door to that room saying "Re-Adoption" and Kurt could feel his heart jump to his throat. He knew he shouldn't get excited, but, he couldn't help but hope. He peered through the window to see the back of a blonde boy who was probably 15 or 16 lying on a single cot in an even smaller room than the others. Kurt sighed in disappointment.

Just then he saw headlights through the window of the back door and heard the soft rumbling of an engine. The vehicle stopped just outside the back door and the lights flicked off. Kurt took a few steps backward as he heard a vehicle door slam shut. _Of course they had someone come to check in on the pets at night_, thought Kurt to himself, _they wouldn't leave small children unattended all night._

With a sharp breath, he turned on his heel and jogged to the door he had come in through. He considered turning off the lights for a moment but figured the person had already seen they were on. Perhaps they would just think that the last person working had forgotten to turn them off.

"Guys," hissed Kurt, as he stepped through the door into the front room. "We have to go, _now_."

"It's printing," replied Artie in a stage whisper. "Just hold up a minute."

"No," hissed Kurt, again. "Someone's here. We have to go, we have to go now!"

"Shit," breathed out Puck, jumping from his chair.

Artie began closing out of windows on the computer as the printer kicked in. The three boys startled when they heard the back door open and close.

"Damnit," cursed Artie under his breath. "C'mon, c'mon, c'mon."

He tapped his fingers impatiently on the side of the office printer that stood next to the computer. When the last paper finally fell to the side, printing finished, Artie shut down the computer and picked up the papers. Puck pushed his wheel chair toward the front door. Kurt ran ahead of them, pushing open the door. They froze when the tinkling sound of the bell over the door echoed through the silent room.

"Shit, shit, shit," hissed Kurt. "Let's go!"

Puck and Kurt ran as fast as they could toward the Navigator, Artie clutching tightly to the papers he had just printed as he bumped in his wheel chair down the sidewalk. When they reached the Navigator, Kurt threw open the door and stood to the side while Puck picked up Artie and practically threw him into his seat. Kurt folded up the wheelchair as Puck jumped into the vehicle behind Artie.

"Drive!" Kurt shrilled as he tossed the wheelchair into the vehicle and jumped in.

The Navigator lurched forward when Finn hit the gas and Kurt managed to pull the door shut without falling out. Once they were a few blocks away, Puck let out a loud 'whoop' and laughed.

"What if they got my licence plate number?" asked Kurt in a panic. "I'm so dead!"

"No way," said Puck shaking his head and grinning, his body full of adrenaline. "It's dark and we were outta there before the guy was at the door."

"I hope you're right," sighed Kurt, rubbing a hand over his face and back through his hair.

"I don't know about you guys," started Artie, he sounded breathless even though he hadn't been the one running. "But that was the most exciting thing I've ever done."

Nervous laughter broke out in the vehicle, but Kurt remained quiet.

"So," started Mercedes after it had grown quiet. "What did you guys find about Blaine?"

Artie and Puck grimaced; Kurt just stared out the window.

"Blaine's file's been closed," said Artie, hesitantly.

"Oh no, Baby," whispered Mercedes in shock.

"Whoa, whoa," exclaimed Finn from the driver's seat. "What does that mean?"

"I don't know, exactly," replied Artie. "What it means for _us_, though, is that we couldn't find any information on where he is or if..."

"Tell them what you _did_ find, Artie," cut in Puck, glancing over at Kurt.

"Well, I did a search of their database with Blaine's ID number after we couldn't get into his file," said Artie, shuffling through the creased papers in his lap. "And two other files came up."

Kurt turned away from the window, then, interest piqued. Artie passed the papers to Kurt.

"His mom and dad," explained Artie as Kurt took the papers from his hand.


	17. Chapter 17

**Title:** Man's Best Friend  
><strong>Pairings<strong>: Kurt/Blaine  
><strong>Rating<strong>: R  
><strong>Warnings:<strong> Pet!Blaine, typos and grammatical errors  
><strong>Note<strong>: This story is a fill for a prompt at the Glee Kink Meme on livejournal.

* * *

><p><em>Chapter Seventeen<br>_

* * *

><p>"So, how did you get their files if their names weren't clickable in the database?" asked Kurt as he glanced over the sheets of paper for what was possibly the hundredth time that night.<p>

"A second database came up when I searched with his ID number," explained Artie from where he was sitting in front of Kurt's desk, clicking away at Kurt's computer. "It was kind of a big genealogy thing. Blaine didn't have his own file on there because he hasn't had any kids, yet."

"Yet?" asked Mercedes. "You think he could still be..."

She let her question trail off, looking over nervously at Kurt who was grinding his teeth and hiding his face behind the papers he was looking at. Artie looked up from the computer and gave Mercedes a half-smile before pushing his wheel chair back from the desk.

"Look," he said, wheeling over to Kurt and taking one of the papers from his hand. "Beside the ID number of both of his parents where they were listed in the same database, there is a 'D'."

Artie pointed it out on the paper, showing it to both Kurt and Mercedes. Finn stopped his pacing in front of Kurt's bedroom window to look over and Puck sat up from where he had been laying across Kurt's bed and throwing a ball up in the air and catching it repetitively.

"D?" asked Puck. "D for what?"

Sliding his hand down the paper, Artie pointed at the name of Blaine's mother and her ID number at the top of the information table. Beside her ID number "Deceased" was written in bold. Kurt's breath caught in his throat.

"I think the 'D' stands for Deceased," said Artie as he handed the paper back to Kurt and turned his wheel chair to roll back to the desk.

"There was no 'D' beside Blaine's ID number," said Puck, grinning.

"There was no 'D' beside Blaine's ID number," repeated Kurt, his heart fluttering in his chest.

He turned where he was perched on the edge of his bed and gave Mercedes a watery grin.

"Mercedes," he said, tears spilling from his eyes. "There was no 'D' beside Blaine's ID number!"

Puck and Finn high-fived.

"I know, Hun, I know," sobbed out Mercedes, moving from her chair to wrap her arms around Kurt.

"There was no 'D' beside Blaine's ID number," cried Kurt, his body shaking with relief.

"Okay, but now what?" asked Finn after the excitement in the room had died down. "Why wasn't his name clickable if he's still around? And, how do we find him?"

"Well," started Artie, still staring at the computer monitor in front of him. "On their files, it listed where his parents both lived before they passed. I know it is a long shot, but, the place isn't far from here. It might be worth checking out. I suspect that Blaine's file isn't clickable at The Home because he is no longer available for adoption or adopted out or _anything_ with them."

"What do you mean?" asked Kurt.

"Maybe he's on a farm," said Artie. "His parents were both living on one near here before..."

"Dude!" exclaimed Finn in sudden enthusiasm. "Remember in elementary school when we went on a field trip to one of those farms?"

"Finn," deadpanned Kurt. "We didn't go to the same elementary school."

"Oh, right," said Finn, shoulders dropping a little. He looked up again, a second later, grinning at Puck. "You did, though! Do you remember?"

"Faintly," replied Puck with a shrug.

"It was the best field trip!" exclaimed Finn.

"Would you shush?" hissed Kurt. "You're going to wake up Dad and Carole."

"Sorry," replied Finn, lowering his voice. "So, like, we went to this one tasker farm on a field trip and it was so cool. Like, they were growing all sorts of food there and, I guess it was all organic or something, but it was good anyway. They let us take home some fruit from their orchard. They had cows and sheep and stuff there, too. The taskers lived there and took care of everything. They lived in this huge place that looked kind of like a barn from the outside but more like a manor or something on the inside. They all had their own rooms and then there was a lounge area and a cafeteria where they hung out. It seemed pretty cool."

"I remember you crying when we had to leave," laughed Puck, his memory coming back to him. "You kept asking if you could be a tasker so you could live there."

"It was a cool place, though," argued Finn defensively.

"So, Artie," started Mercedes. "Do you think they took Blaine to a farm and made him a tasker?"

"Well, I mean, eventually, most pets go there," answered Artie with a shrug. "There aren't a lot of people who enjoy having human pets past a certain age. I doubt they'd even try to adopt Blaine out again when he's almost 18 and if they thought he was acting out or something at his last home..."

"Burt didn't tell them," Finn suddenly said, cutting Artie off.

"What?" stammered Kurt in surprise.

"Your dad," said Finn, looking directly at Kurt. "At supper last night he told Mom that he didn't tell them what... what was going on when... when he... He just told them that Blaine had attacked you."

"Okay," replied Kurt in confusion, not able to stop the flush growing on his cheeks from everyone in the room looking at him.

"You never told us what you _were_ doing when your dad found you," urged Puck with a knowing grin.

"I'm just saying," said Finn, ignoring Puck. "That they don't know that part. When the lady was taking your dad's statement, he never told them that. Burt didn't want it to get out and then be on the news or whatever cuz it totally would have if he had said that Blaine was..."

"Which he wasn't," snapped Kurt, his cheeks flaming past the point of no return.

"Okay, okay," replied Finn, raising his hands. "And he told Mom that even if it _had_ been consequential like you said, there would have been trouble because... Kurt, that's illegal."

"Consensual," corrected Kurt with a roll of his eyes before Finn's last words sunk in. "Wait, what?"

"Yeah," nodded Finn. "You could like, go to jail, man."

"Damn, Kurt," exclaimed Puck. "Getting some _and_ being a badass about it!"

"Shut up, Puck," groaned Kurt.

"It doesn't matter, Kurt," said Mercedes, patting his shoulder. "All that matters right now is that we find Blaine."

"So, this farm..." trailed off Kurt, trying to keep the tremble from his voice.

"I found it on google maps," answered Artie, wheeling backward from the computer so everyone could see the monitor. "It's only about fifteen miles out of Lima."

* * *

><p>"This place doesn't look much like the farm I went to," said Finn as he peered out the passenger window of Kurt's Navigator.<p>

Kurt parked the vehicle in the farm's small, gravel parking lot. He took a deep breath before turning off the vehicle and getting out. Finn was at his side when he stepped toward to dirt path that led off to different parts of the farm. Kurt looked around. Knowing that they stood out really obviously and it wouldn't be long before they were approached, he wonder where he should go first to get the most information.

"Seriously, this place is nothing like that other farm," whispered Finn, leaning toward Kurt as they walked. "This place is kind of depressing."

Kurt just nodded.

Nothing really stood out about the place as bad but it definitely had a foreboding air to it, or perhaps it was just Kurt's nerves. It looked like a farm; a fairly large, fairly low budget farm.

They heard the idling of a large truck and looked to their left to see a truck parked in a small field or large garden. In the back of it stood a large, tall box of sorts that had "Organic Pumpkins" written across the side. A man stood in the back of the truck catching large pumpkins and carefully leaning into the box to place them inside. Two other men stood on the ground below picking up pumpkins from the pumpkin patch and tossing them up to the man. All three were wearing similar jeans and plain long-sleeved shirts, and all three of them had collars around their necks.

"When we were on our field trip," said Finn, staring with Kurt over at the men picking pumpkins. "The lady giving the tour told us that all the organic food came from farms like theirs."

"Where should we go, now?" asked Kurt, looking over their entire setting. "Before we get kicked out."

Finn looked around and shook his head.

"This place doesn't look like the other place," he said with a shrug. "I don't even see a big building like the one they had for the taskers to live in."

"There's a small barn over there," said Kurt, gesturing ahead of them.

"Okay," said Finn as they picked up their pace. "But it's nowhere near the size of the barn thing they had at the farm I was at."

"It's bigger than a shed," answered Kurt as they neared the front. "They must use it for _something_ interesting."

When they reached the large sliding door on the front of the brown barn, Kurt noticed a small sign posted on the wall of the barn beside a regular door. He walked over to it.

"Holding," he read out loud.

"Holding," repeated Finn, thoughtfully.

"Let's go in," said Kurt as he reached for the door handle.

He heart was pounding with trepidation; he wasn't sure how much trouble they would get in for being there. Pushing the door open, Kurt stepped into the dim barn. He moved out of Finn's way before shutting the door behind them and stopping a moment to let his eyes adjust.

It didn't look like a barn on the inside. Kurt didn't have an intimate relationship with barns or farms, but from what he could tell, it didn't look like a barn on the inside. The floor was concrete and the walls were white washed. There was a long wide aisle down the middle of the barn that looked large enough for a vehicle to drive through, Kurt glanced over at the large sliding door and figured they did drive vehicles into the barn.

On either side of the aisle were what he wanted to call stalls, but they looked more like walled-in rooms or cells. They reminded Kurt oddly of the back of the Home, except a lot less friendly. They were walled in but the walls didn't go up to the ceiling of the tall barn. There were large fluorescent lights overhead but they were off and Kurt didn't bother turning them on, the line of windows on either side of the barn let in enough light to allow them to see.

Finn stepped ahead of Kurt and walked down the aisle, Kurt moved to follow. They stopped and peered into one of the rooms through the barred door which gave each room the look of a prison cell. Inside was a cot that was attached to the white-washed concrete block wall with metal cords, a toilet, a sink, and a small chest. The room was empty, though, there was no one inside.

"Holding," whispered Kurt. "Do you think this is where they put their new takers or something?"

"Maybe," answered Finn in a hushed tone, shuddering at the look of the room. "This looks like a prison, Kurt."

"I know," replied Kurt, shuddering himself.

Kurt took his cell phone out of his pocket and took a photo of the room. He wasn't sure why he did it, but he felt like he needed proof... proof of how awful this place was beginning to seem.

They continued walking down the aisle, glancing into the rooms as they went. Almost all of the rooms on that side of the barn were empty except for the last one which had a middle-aged woman in it. She was sitting with her back to the door, a shawl wrapped over her shoulders. Kurt quickly took a photo of her through the bars of the door.

At the end of the barn was a small, open room that looked like an office. It had no metal barred door. Kurt glanced inside to see that that it was empty before timidly entering. There was a bulletin board filled with tacked on papers, a big large desk, a few filing cabinets, and some chairs pressed against a wall. He wanted to search through all the files in the cabinets but had no idea what he would even look for. So, he left the office and stepped back out into the wide aisle of the barn

They turned, then, to walk up the barn looking at the rooms on the other side. There was a man who looked to be in his late twenties in the next cell. He glanced up at them when they walked past but didn't move. The next room was empty, but when Kurt glanced into the one directly after that, his heart stopped. Sitting on an uncomfortable looking cot with his back to the door was a trim teenage boy with a messy head of dark curls.

Kurt grabbed onto Finn's arm to steady himself. He thought he might faint.

"Blaine," he exhaled in a hiss of air.

The curly-haired boy startled at the sound of his name and turned. His eyes widened when he saw Kurt and Finn standing outside of his room. Kurt rushed to the barred door, wrapping his hands around the metal bars.

"Blaine," he said again, this time with tears stinging his eyes.

The boy stood so abruptly that he almost fell to the floor. A few quick strides later, and he was pressed against the metal bars, his arms stretched as far as they could reach through the door to wrap around Kurt. Sobbing, Kurt did the same. They clutched to each other, held back by the metal bars of the door.

"Blaine, Blaine, Blaine," repeated Kurt, his voice cracking and going hoarse with emotion. "I thought I would never see you again. For a while I thought you might even be dead."

He could say it, now. He could admit it. He could admit that for a few bleak moments two nights before, he had given up hope. Now that he could touch him, he could admit that, for a short time, he had feared he was dead.

A mountain had lifted itself from Kurt's shoulders and he felt boneless and light. Obviously, there was still the issue of getting Blaine out of there, but just knowing he was alive and being able to touch his face was monumental.

"Shit," sounded Finn's muffled curse from behind Kurt.

Kurt retracted from Blaine to see Finn nervously step closer to him as a man in white coveralls came striding down the aisle. Stepping back from the door, Kurt squared his shoulders and lifted his chin, waiting for the man to reach them.

"What do you two think you're doing in here?" questioned the man.

"We're here for Blaine," said Kurt, trying to keep his voice level and confident. "He's mine and I'm taking him home."

The man in the white coveralls put his hands on his hips as he stood in front of them, looking between the three boys with a raised eyebrow.

"Is that so?" he asked.

"Yes," said Kurt with a nod.

"Look, Kid," said the man. "I'm sorry Daddy got rid of your favourite pet, or whatever, but once they come here, they ain't nobody's. They're the government's."

"Then I'd like to readopt him," replied Kurt, putting his hands on his hips to match the man's stance.

"We don't adopt out pets here," the man informed him with a shake of his head. "These are taskers, not pets. He might have been your pet at one time, but he ain't anymore, Kid."

"Fine," replied Kurt, finding it harder to keep his tone confident. "Then we wish to purchase him."

"You can't purchase taskers or pets," answered the man, his tone growing annoyed. "That goes against the Thirteenth Amendment."

"Seems like _this place_ goes against the Thirteenth Amendment," replied Kurt, lifting his chin and sniffing lightly.

"Well," said the man with a shrug. "You can't have him. Now, you two kids need to get out of here before you get in trouble. This isn't an open farm."

"Open farm?" asked Finn.

"We don't give tours and we don't take kindly to _trespassers_," replied the man, giving Finn and Kurt a stern look.

"What is going to happen to him?" asked Kurt, unfazed by the man's attempt at intimidation, unlike Finn.

"He's in holding until his paperwork goes through," answered the man, glancing over at Blaine. "Then he'll be examined by a doctor and given a title."

"Title?" asked Kurt, looking over at Blaine, too.

"Tasker or Breeder," replied the man. "They don't keep a lot of males intact, so, when one comes along, they give them a physical and do some blood work and decide if he'd be a good breeder."

"But he's gay," whispered Finn to Kurt.

Kurt elbowed him.

"If they decide to have him a Tasker, will they... will they leave him intact?" asked Kurt.

"Depends on his attitude," answered the man. "If he can handle being intact, then, probably."

The man looked closely at Kurt and Finn, then, his eyes narrowing. He seemed to decide something, then.

"I've said enough," he spoke. "Now, it is time for you two to leave. I'll give you five minutes to be driving out of here."

"Okay, thanks," stammered Finn, nervously.

He pushed at Kurt so they would leave the barn and head out to Kurt's vehicle.

"I'll be back for him," said Kurt, giving the man the most threatening expression he could muster. "I'm taking him home with me, no matter what."

"Alright, Kid," humoured the man. "Good luck."

Ignoring Finn's push, Kurt stepped closer to the barred door and reached through to touch Blaine's face.

"No matter what," Kurt repeated in a low voice, smiling sadly at Blaine.

Blaine reached up to cup Kurt's hand with his own. They stood like that for a few seconds before Kurt retracted his hand and left with Finn.

* * *

><p>It was Thursday and Kurt had been quiet all week –quiet and distant. He had calmy borne the continuing hatred and bullying brought on by the rumours of him and Blaine still circulating the school. He had sat back quietly in all his classes, working on his school work but not participating in class. He had sat silently in glee, not participating in the disagreements or complaining about Mr. Schue's song choices. When he got home after school, he would go straight to his room and stay there until asked to downstairs to join the family for supper.<p>

Finn was worried.

Kurt was in his room, sitting at his desk and staring at his computer monitor when Finn knocked lightly on his door. Not waiting for Kurt to respond, Finn pushed the door open and stepped in.

"So, Blaine, isn't covered by Human Rights as a person and he isn't covered by the Humane Society as a pet," exclaimed Kurt, spinning around in his chair to face Finn. "And for some reason, the government is ignoring the 13th Amendment, so Blaine isn't covered by that as a tasker."

Surprised by the sudden outburst, Finn simply stared at Kurt, dumbfounded.

"Involuntary Servitude, Finn," hollered Kurt, throwing his hands up in the air. "Involuntary Servitude! That's what it is! And it has been illegal since 1865!"

Finn just stared at Kurt, but it didn't seem like Kurt was expecting him to respond.

"How are they getting away with it?" mumbled Kurt, turning back to his computer.

"I was just coming in to check on you," said Finn, nervously, as he shuffled across the floor to Kurt's desk. "But I see you're busy..."

"I'm going to shut that place down, Finn," stated Kurt, his voice confident and sure. "I'm going to shut them all down!"

"The farm?" asked Finn, not sure he believed what he was hearing.

"Yes," replied Kurt. "I'm going to shut them down and I'm going to get Blaine."

"Okay," answered Finn, nodding his head. "Okay, sure."

"I've been doing my research," explained Kurt, gesturing to the notebook open on his desk that he had been writing in. "Artie is going to help me set up a website where I can post everything along with the photos I took at the farm."

"You think people will listen?" asked Finn, not sure what to make of the fire burning behind his step-brother's stormy eyes.

"I'll do whatever it takes," answered Kurt. "I'm going to get people to listen; I'm going to get people talking. Things are going to change, Finn."

"Okay, Cool," stuttered Finn, unsure of what to say. "So, um, did you want anything to eat or whatever? I'm going down to the kitchen to get a snack."

"Thanks Finn," said Kurt, his face softening slightly. "I'm okay, though."

"Okay," replied Finn with an awkward shrug.

He left Kurt's room, then, leaving him to get back to his frantic research and note-taking. Unsure if what Kurt was up to was entirely sane, but knowing that if anyone could do what Kurt had planned, it would be Kurt.

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN:** thanks for reading! Time frame is going to expand/quicken in the next chapter(s), just so you know._


	18. Chapter 18

**Title:** Man's Best Friend  
><strong>Pairings<strong>: Kurt/Blaine  
><strong>Rating<strong>: R  
><strong>Warnings:<strong> Pet!Blaine, typos and grammatical errors  
><strong>Note<strong>: This story is a fill for a prompt at the Glee Kink Meme on livejournal.

* * *

><p><em>Chapter Eighteen<br>_

* * *

><p>It had been just under two weeks since Blaine had been taken away and Kurt's heart didn't feel any better. He had spent the majority of the first week working on gathering information and earlier that last week, he had spent a few afternoons at Artie's house working with him on setting up a website and blog where he could showcase said information. Keeping his mind busy had helped, especially when he felt like perhaps he was going to get something done to bring Blaine home, but every night as Kurt lay in bed, he would hear the padding of phantom bare feet on the hallway floor. It was torture lying alone in his bed, waiting for his door to be pushed open and Blaine to crawl in with him.<p>

He missed seeing Blaine waiting for him when he came home from school. He missed the way Blaine's face lit up when he spoke to him or smiled at him. He missed the feeling of Blaine sitting at his feet while he watched TV or worked on his homework, or knowing he was lying on his bed behind him as he sat at his desk. He missed the honesty in the boy's bright hazel eyes. He missed taking him for walks to the park and seeing how excited everything would make him. He missed being held by him and how Blaine's touch could make all the hurt go away. Kurt missed the feeling of not being alone anymore, of how for once in his life there was someone. He had his dad and his new step family, but Blaine... Blaine had been something entirely different for him, something he didn't even realize he needed until he felt its absence.

That was why, nearly two weeks after Blaine had been taken away, Kurt found himself parked in the gravel parking lot of the farm. He was alone this time and, as he worked up the courage to get out of the vehicle, he was really missing the awkward presence of his giant step-brother. Finally, with a sigh of resignation which he chased with a deep breath of determination, Kurt pushed open the driver's side door of his Navigator and stepped out.

The weather had turned cold and there was a light dusting of snow over the ground from the rain that had turned to snow earlier that day. There wasn't a lot of movement on the farm that afternoon, probably because most of the harvest was complete and there was probably less to do, but Kurt wasn't going to pretend he knew the first thing about farm tasks. He surveyed the area around him before taking off at a brisk walk toward the holding barn. When he reached the door, he glanced around quickly before opening it and stepping inside. Everything was so eerily quiet; it sent a chill up Kurt's spine.

Kurt walked quickly down the aisle, glancing into each room on either side as he walked past. There was a new 'pet' or 'tasker' or whatever a person wanted to call them in one of the rooms that had been vacant the last time Kurt had been there. The other rooms, the ones that had been occupied the last time were empty. Kurt's heart gave a nervous flip. He reached the room Blaine had been in to find that it, too, was empty. Biting his lip and trying not to panic, Kurt stood at the door to the room and tried to think.

Hurried footsteps echoed dully down through the barn, then. Kurt looked up to see the familiar face of the man in the white coveralls. Recognition swept over the man's face as he approached Kurt.

"What are you doing back here?" he asked, his voice a mixture of attempted authority and pure curiosity.

"I came to check on Blaine," replied Kurt, truthfully.

"He's not in here," he said.

"I can see that," deadpanned Kurt.

"You could get in trouble being here, you know," warned the man.

"So, report me," answered Kurt with a shrug.

They stared at each other for a moment, like two dogs battling for dominance. Kurt was surprised that it was the man who turned away first.

"He's been titled a breeder," informed the man. "He's in a different barn, now."

"How is that going?" asked Kurt, nervously.

"I don't know," replied the man with a shrug. "I man this barn."

"How long ago was he moved there?" asked Kurt.

"Only a few days ago," answered the man. He was silent for a minute, contemplative, but then he leveled Kurt with a careful glare. "Look, Kid, I don't know what you're thinking, but, you're not going to get him back."

"Yes, I will," answered Kurt, his voice confident.

* * *

><p>He dreamed about Blaine that night.<p>

Puck and Finn had helped him break Blaine out of the farm and snuck him home in the middle of the night. It had been thrilling and terrifying and the best sort of reunion. Blaine had held onto him so tightly. And then they were in Kurt's bed, Puck and Finn long gone. Stripping themselves naked and pressing their bodies together to reacquaint each other with every inch. Blaine had kissed and sucked and licked Kurt's neck as they rolled together in the sheets. They fell asleep pressed together, wrapped in each other and the soft linens of Kurt's bed.

Kurt woke the next morning with tears in his eyes. He knew breaking Blaine out of the farm wasn't an option. Even if they successfully did it, there was no way it could last and then Blaine would be even further from his reach. The dream had been so real, though, and Kurt's body ached with the need to hold and bed held by Blaine.

During his free period at school that day, Kurt sat in the library and composed a formal letter. He wrote about the drastic differences between the open and the closed farms in the area, he wrote about seeing the people in the rooms that looked like prison cells, he asked questions about slavery and involuntary servitude, and after concluding the letter, he addressed it to the Ohio State Governor.

* * *

><p>Kurt's Navigator rolled to a stop on the side of the gravel road. He turned off the ignition and stepped out. The snow crunched on the ground under his boot-clad feet. He glanced around nervously before venturing off the shoulder of the narrow road and down into the ditch. He had driven out to the farm again on Thanksgiving weekend and found the familiar man who he had spoken to twice before. From him, he learned that Blaine had not worked out as a breeder to their dismay. It hadn't surprised Kurt, but he didn't say as much.<p>

It was the first day of Kurt's winter break from school and he had driven to the farm for a fourth time. With the knowledge that Blaine was a newly appointed tasker, having been a 'dud' with the whole breeder thing, Kurt had parked the Navigator just down the road from the farm's entrance. He walked through the snow in the ditch and climbed up the other side to the fence-line. There were a few taskers out in the field by the livestock barns. They were carrying buckets of grain out to the cattle. Kurt leaned on a fence post and squinted as he tried to place any of them as being Blaine.

It was Blaine who saw him first. Already nervous because of his conspicuous position, Kurt jumped when he heard a somewhat distant thud. Looking to where the sound had come from, he immediately locked eyes with Blaine. The curly-haired tasker has dropped his two pails to the ground and was walking briskly toward the fence. Kurt's heart rate sped up. He glanced around wondering where the men in which coveralls who seemed to oversee everything the taskers did were standing. He couldn't find any.

And then Blaine was standing in front of him. His facial expression was blank, but his eyes were sparkling in the way they always did when Blaine locked his eyes on Kurt.

"I've missed you," spoke Kurt, pushing pas the lump in his throat.

Blaine stepped closer to the fence. The barbed wire strung between them was forgotten when they threw their arms around each other's shoulders. Turning his face into Kurt's neck, Blaine took in a shuddering breath through his nose, as if the scent of Kurt was like oxygen and all these weeks he had been drowning.

"I love you so much, Blaine," whispered Kurt as they held each other. "And I'm going to get you back, I promise."

Blaine let out a small sob, his body shivering in Kurt's arms. He moved his arms down from Kurt's shoulders and pressed his hands into Kurt's unbuttoned jacket, trying to get closer to Kurt. Turning his head, Kurt kissed Blaine's jaw and nuzzled his nosed into his neck.

They stood together, holding each other for a few more minutes before Blaine finally pulled away. Kurt's jaw trembled and tears filled his eyes as he watched Blaine retreat back toward the farm. His body suddenly felt very cold without Blaine pressed against him, but he stood at the fence watching as the boy shook out lines of grain into the packed snow. The cattle moved toward the grain, quickly eating it up; a few followed Blaine, knowing he was the source. He pushed one of the more friendly ones away before walking up to the gate and slipping through. Kurt waited until Blaine had disappeared from his sight before he finally walked back to his Navigator to head back home.

* * *

><p>Later that day, Kurt was gluing down a photo he had printed from his computer when Burt knocked on his door before pushing it open.<p>

"Hey, Kiddo," greeted Burt, softly.

"Hi, Dad," responded Kurt, smoothing out the photo on the large paper.

"What's all this?" asked Burt, taking a few steps into Kurt's room and looking down and where Kurt was sprawled on the floor, surrounded by larger posters he had been making.

The poster Kurt was currently working on had a stock photo of a few 'pets' with collars around their necks glued to it just below the photo he had just glued down which was a copy of an old photo of three black slaves with chains around their necks. Beside Kurt were a few strips of paper with different phrases printed across them in bold font, Kurt was sifting through them for a corresponding phrase to glue to the poster before the photos.

"I'm protesting," replied Kurt, still not looking up from what he was doing.

"Protesting," repeated Burt, wanting to understand.

"Yes," replied Kurt, picking up one of the finished posters and showing it to his dad.

The photo Kurt had taken of the woman in the prison-like room at the farm had been blown up, printed out and stuck to the paper. Above and below it in large, bold font were the words "_I'm NOT a CRIMINAL_" and "_So why am I in PRISON?"_

"Kurt," asked Burt, his voice careful and his brow furrowing. "Where'd you get that photo?"

"I took it," replied Kurt, matter-of-factly.

"What?" he choked.

"We found out that Blaine is at one of the local farms," explained Kurt, realizing he probably should have told his father this sooner or else kept his mouth shut completely. "Finn and I drove there one day to see if we could get Blaine back and these are the rooms they were being kept in."

Stunned into silence, Burt just looked at Kurt for long while. Refusing to look guilty for keeping this from his father for so long, Kurt held his gaze.

"So," said Burt, after a few more beats. "Do... you need any help?"

Kurt's face broke into a smile.

* * *

><p>Kurt gracefully sat down in his chair at the Lima Bean, setting his coffee cup down on the table. Christmas decorations still hung all around the coffee shop and Christmas music was playing over the speakers. He was so tired of Christmas. Mercedes lifted her eyebrow at his scowl from where she sat across the table from him.<p>

"What's that look for?" she asked, before taking another sip of her drink.

"I'm so tired of all the Christmas crap," sighed out Kurt, uncharacteristically slumping in his seat a little.

"It has only been a few days since Christmas," replied Mercedes with a small shrug.

"It should be mandatory that everything comes down at the end of the day after Christmas," retorted Kurt, grumbling when another Christmas themed song began to play on the radio.

"Didn't have a good Christmas?" ventured Mercedes, reaching out to pat Kurt on the hand.

"It was fine," sighed Kurt. "By all standards, it was just as good a Christmas as any. It was the second Christmas we had as an actual family, too, so, it should have been awesome, right? I don't know, I just wasn't feeling it this year, I guess."

"Could it have been because of the absence one curly-haired cutie pie?" ask Mercedes with a small, teasing smile, but her eyes look sad and sympathetic.

Kurt dropped his head to the table with a soft thud. He breathed in and out a few shaky breaths before whimpering.

"It isn't like we've ever had a Christmas with him," Kurt spoke into the table. "So, it wasn't like it disrupted any Christmas traditions or anything."

Mercedes sighed and reached across the small table to pet Kurt's head.

"Speaking of Blaine," she started after some silence. "I love that you put those ads in the paper the last two weeks."

Kurt's head shot up, then.

"What?" he asked.

Mercedes gave him a confused look before standing to grab a complimentary newspaper from the front. When she returned to the table, she sat down and flipped through it, quickly. After finding the page she was looking for, she turned the newspaper around and pushed it toward Kurt.

"The posters you made and had us make copies of weeks ago were so great," she said. "And we put them up all over town, so I'm sure lots of people have seen them. Tina even took a bunch with her when she and her parents made a trip to her grandparents' for Christmas. She said she'd put them up wherever they stopped on the drive. But, I think having them in the newspaper makes it look more legit. Good idea, Kurt."

Kurt's brow furrowed as he stared at the tiny version of one of his posters printed in the newspaper in front of him.

"I didn't put them in the newspaper," said Kurt, thoughtfully.

"Really?" replied Mercedes in surprise. "I wonder who did."

Kurt shook his head to say he didn't know his eyes still on the paper. He traced his finger along the side of the ad while Mercedes changed the subject, filling him in on the Jones' Christmas and telling him about her Uncle's strange antics. Kurt chuckled softly at her story, but couldn't help wondering who had put the ad in the paper.

* * *

><p>Kurt stopped in at his dad's Tire and Auto Shop before heading home from the Lima Bean after his coffee date with Mercedes. He could hear the sounds of men working away as he stepped in and the familiar smell of oil and dust filled his nose. Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath, enjoying the nostalgia of it. Only half a year earlier, the smell reminded him of his childhood, growing up in the shop, spending hours with his dad learning about cars. Now, though, it also reminded him of Blaine.<p>

"Hey, Dude," called out Finn from where he was taking a tire off a truck nearby. "What's up?"

"Not much," replied Kurt, setting his coat and bag down on one of the chairs sitting against the wall for waiting customers.

Finn had been helping Burt in the shop over Christmas holidays because they were short staffed and because he was saving up money for college. Burt paid him better than Linens and Things, plus, as Finn said, 'he felt more manly working in an auto shop'.

"Where's Dad?" asked Kurt, stepping around Finn where he was kneeling at the truck's tire.

"Office," replied Finn.

Kurt nodded, though Finn couldn't see, before heading over to the small room. He knocked lightly on the closed door before stepping into the room. Burt was sitting at his messy desk, phone pressed to his ear. He smiled when he looked up and saw Kurt, but went back to talking on the phone. Kurt plunked down in the seat across from him to wait.

"What can I do for you, Kiddo?" asked Burt after finishing his conversation and setting the phone down on the receiver.

Seeing that week's newspaper sitting on the side of Burt's desk, Kurt reached for it and opened it up to the page the advertisement was on before setting it down in front of his dad.

"Any idea who put that in the paper?" asked Kurt, giving his dad a glare accompanied by a wry smile.

"Oh," laughed Burt sheepishly. "You saw that, did you?"

Kurt nodded.

"I bought the ads anonymously," said Burt. "If that's what you're worried about. I know you wanted to keep all of this anonymous what with the rumours at school and all."

Shaking his head and rolling his eyes, Kurt stood from his seat and walked around his dad's desk to give him a big hug.

"You crazy old man," sighed Kurt as his father returned the hug.

"Not _that_ old, you know," replied Burt, eyes twinkling.

"Did you bring a lunch?" asked Kurt as he retreated from the hug. "Or do you want me to run out and get you something?"

"I think we're all set," replied Burt with a smile. "Thank you, though."

"Sure," replied Kurt with a shrug. "Well, I guess I'll just head home, then."

"See at supper," called out Burt as he began rifling through the mess of paper work on his desk.

"Dad," said Kurt, stopping at the office door.

"Yeah, Son?" answered Burt, looking up.

"I love you," replied Kurt with a soft smile.

"I love you, too," answered Burt returning the smile.

Kurt turned the door handle and pushed the door open, then. Walking across the busy shop, he grabbed his coat and put it on before picking up his bag. He called out a 'good bye' to Finn before leaving.

* * *

><p>The first day of February found Kurt home from school with a nasty head cold. January had gone by in a blur of nothingness. Kurt stayed home for New Years, despite the party the rest of the New Directions had in Rachel's basement. He had driven out to the farm on New Year's Day to see if he could catch a glimpse of Blaine, but had no luck. The rumours and hate about him being interested in his family's pet had almost completely dissipated by the time school started up again after winter break, leaving Kurt back to his regular bullying which didn't feel nearly as bad in comparison.<p>

Kurt heard the front door open and shut from where he was laying on the living room couch, watching interior decorating shows on TV. He glanced over at the clock on the wall to see that it was just after 12 noon, and wondered who it would be coming home.

"How are you feeling, Kid?" asked Burt as he shuffled into the room moments later.

"Dad, what are you doing home from work?" asked Kurt, from under his pile of blankets.

"Thought I'd come home for lunch so I could check up on you," replied Burt, untangling a scarf from around his neck. "So, how are you feeling?"

"I'll survive," answered Kurt before letting out a monstrous sneeze.

Burt winced and handed Kurt the box of facial tissue from the coffee table.

"Thanks," spoke Kurt, his voice rougher from the sneeze.

"Also," said Burt, pulling an envelope from his pocket. "This came in the mail for you today."

Kurt perked, sitting up on the couch. He reached for the envelope and Burt placed it in his hand. Kurt frowned as he turned it over.

"From the state governor's office," supplied Burt, giving him a quizzical look.

Kurt hummed and flipped it over to tear it open. He unfolded the paper and read it over before groaning and flopping back down on the couch.

"What is it?" asked Burt, taking a step closer.

"Dear Mr. Kurt Hummel, thank you for your interest in our government owned and operated tasking farms. We appreciate your concerns and can assure you that they have operating guidelines that are strictly enforced throughout the country," Kurt read aloud. "You can learn more about our tasking farms by visiting their website. Inside this envelope please find a voucher for a free meal for two that can be redeemed at any of the restaurant chains supplied by our farms. You can find a list of said restaurants on the same website. Thank you for your letter."

Burt rolled his eyes as Kurt looked up at him with irritation.

"I'm assuming whatever letter you sent was more than..." started Burt.

"I'd write them again but it doesn't seem like I'll get anyway," cut in Kurt with a frustrated sigh.

"Maybe check out that website," thought Burt out loud. "Find that list of restaurants and other places that are supplied by the farms and send _them_ letters. You should write a letter to the editor of our local newspaper, too. One person's concerns are easy to ignore, but if you get more people talking..."

Burt trailed off, ending his thought with a shrug of the shoulders.

"Thanks, Dad," sighed Kurt.

He looked down at the letter again before angrily throwing it to the side.

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN:** thanks for reading! Feel free to come visit me on tumblr! idareu2bme(dot)tumblr(dot)com  
><em>


	19. Chapter 19

**Title:** Man's Best Friend  
><strong>Pairings<strong>: Kurt/Blaine  
><strong>Rating<strong>: R  
><strong>Warnings:<strong> Pet!Blaine, typos and grammatical errors  
><strong>Note<strong>: This story is a fill for a prompt at the Glee Kink Meme on livejournal.

* * *

><p><em>Chapter Nineteen<br>_

* * *

><p>"Did you get the mail?" asked Kurt, hearing his dad come home from where he was working in the kitchen.<p>

Carole was working an evening shift that day, so Kurt was making supper. He was feeling optimistic that day. It was hard not to be in a good mood on such a sunny March afternoon. It was late in the month and all the snow had already melted. Though the grass was still brown and ugly from the winter, the trees were covered in pussy willows, the sun's strength had returned, birds were singing, and the ground was saturated with moisture from melted snow.

"I sure did," replied Burt, excitedly, as he stepped into the kitchen from the entry.

"Anything for me?" asked Kurt, expectantly.

"There sure is," sounded Burt's excited response.

Kurt laughed lightly at his dad's expression but let out a shrill gasp when he looked at the envelopes his father placed in his hand. He looked down at the three envelopes, one from NYADA, and two from different Fashion Design schools also in New York City.

Supper preparations forgotten, Kurt moved around the island to sit down on one of the stools. With trembling fingers, he opened the first envelope. Unfolding the paper, he read it over quickly. His father anxiously watched his expression but Kurt gave no indication of it being good or bad news. Without a word, Kurt put the paper back in the envelope and shuffled the envelopes to open the next one. He pulled out that letter, scanned it over, and then replaced it in its envelope. Picking out the third envelope, Kurt did the same thing yet again.

"Well?" sounded Burt's exasperated voice after Kurt had finished replacing the third letter in its envelope.

Kurt looked up solemnly at his father before letting his face break out into a huge grin.

"I'm moving to New York!" exclaimed Kurt before launching himself into his father's arms.

Burt caught him and they hugged tightly, both laughing in excitement. When Kurt pulled away from his father, he saw tears in his eyes.

"I'm so proud of you, Kurt," cried Burt, grinning. "There was no doubt in my mind that you'd get into _at least_ one of those schools, but now that it's official... Oh, Kurt! I'm so proud of you! You're meant for big things, I just know it. So, which one did you get in to?"

Kurt looked back down at the envelopes in his hands and then back up at his dad before flashing him a bright, watery grin.

"All of them," answered Kurt, his voice gone a little raspy.

"What!" exclaimed Burt, grabbing and pulling Kurt in for another hug. "That's amazing!"

"Except," said Kurt, moments later when they broke apart from their hug. "Except now I'm going to have to choose."

Burt just smiled.

"I mean," continued Kurt with a shrug and timid smile. "This is amazing, but, I was sort of planning on just going to the school I was accepted to, if I was lucky enough to be accepted to any. All three of the choices are fantastic and I'm not even sure what I'd be better at or... Yeah, this is going to be hard."

"You can't go wrong, Kurt," supplied Burt, patting his shoulder. "Not with this. And, you have some time to think it over. Ask yourself where your heart lies, give it some thought, you'll figure it out."

"Thanks, Dad," replied Kurt, smiling.

They grinned at each other for a bit longer before Kurt remembered he was in the middle of making supper and went back to it. Burt left to clean up after his day at work.

Kurt sighed happily to himself as he cut up some carrots. His future lay just a few months away, waiting for him to go out there to claim and live it. His stomach gave and excited and nervous flip at the prospect. Kurt Hummel, resident New Yorker. He would be living his dream, working toward his goals. He would be out of this small town and doing what he loved. There was no doubt in his mind that it would be hard, but Kurt was excited to get started.

A small pang in his heart reminded him, then, of what he would be leaving behind; his dad, his new little family, his home, his childhood, but most of all, Blaine. In only a few months time, he would be leaving Ohio and Blaine was still trapped in that tasking farm. A lump rose in Kurt's throat as the reality of it began to sink in; he was probably never going to see Blaine again.

* * *

><p>When Kurt arrived home one April afternoon, it was already evening and the six o'clock news was on in the living room. He had gone to the library with Rachel after school to work on an assignment for one of their classes together.<p>

"Kurt," exclaimed Finn when Kurt stepped into the house from the entry. "You have to see this."

"What?" asked Kurt, speeding his pace.

He walked into the living room to find Burt and Finn staring at the television.

"You're just in time," spoke Burt, not taking his eyes from the TV.

"For what?" asked Kurt only to be shushed by both Finn and Burt.

Burt raised the remote and clicked the volume up so the voices on the television filled the room.

"...and that is why we've decided to stop carrying produce, breads and meats from tasking farms, immediately," spoke a man standing in the produce section of a grocery store on the TV.

"Do you think other grocers will follow suit?" asked the woman interview him.

"This is something that each company has to decide for themselves," answered the man who was trying to retain a confident exterior even though he was obviously nervous not being accustomed to being interviewed for television. "But I sincerely hope that other grocery stores... and restaurants, for that matter, will follow suit. We Americans like to boast that America is home of the free, but as Fannie Lou Hamer once said, 'Nobody is free until everybody is free'."

Kurt dropped his bag to the floor, his breath caught in his chest and his stomach climbing his throat.

"What..." breathed out Kurt, not even knowing what to say but feeling he needed to say something.

"It's working, Kurt," exclaimed Burt, grinning widely at his son from across the room. "You're making a change."

"None of the grocers actually replied to my letters," spoke Kurt, his voice still breathless. "I had no idea that..."

He trailed off as another reporter flashed on the screen. He was standing in front of a particularly popular family restaurant that Kurt knew was only a few blocks away from his dad's shop. The man was saying something as he walked into the building, but Kurt was having a hard time listening for the buzzing in his ears. Seconds later, he was introducing the manager of the restaurant and asking him questions. The manager explained that their entire chain, straight across the country, was breaking contract with government owned and operated tasking farms that supplied them.

Kurt couldn't believe what he was seeing and hearing from the flat screen standing before him. He listened a bit longer as the manager explained about the advertisements and letters to the editor he had read in the local newspaper that had prompted him to ask his superiors questions about the farms that supplied them. After some of their own research, the company had decided to cut ties with the farms.

Letting out a shaky exhale, Kurt reached for the arm couch, feeling light headed. Finn, who was often a little oblivious, was quick to notice Kurt's loss of balance and jumped to his feet. Grasping Kurt's shoulder to steady him, Finn smiled at him while Kurt fought to regain some composure.

"You okay, Dude?" asked Finn.

"Yeah," sighed out Kurt. "Thanks."

"I can't believe you got two big chains on your side," exclaimed Finn as he gently directed Kurt to sit down on the couch. "This is huge."

Finn paused for a moment and glanced over to Burt.

"This _is_ huge, right?" he asked, looking for approval.

At Burt's nod, Finn turned back to Kurt and grinned dopily.

* * *

><p>"I can't believe that in just a month from now we'll be on an airplane headed to our new lives in New York City," exclaimed Rachel, grasping Kurt's hand in excitement.<p>

Kurt smiled gently at her. They were standing in front of his locker, other students flowing by them in the busy school hallway.

"It's pretty surreal," responded Kurt, softly.

"What's wrong, Kurt?" asked Rachel, blinking through her haze of enthusiasm to notice the downward pull of the corners of his smile.

"I just..." started Kurt, he paused and let out a soft sigh before continuing. "I really thought that I would have gotten Blaine back by now. I can't wait to go to NYC with you, but, there's only a few weeks left of school and then we'll be bustling away and... If I leave now, I'll probably _never_ get him back."

"You've done so much, Kurt," replied Rachel, smiling sadly at him. "More than even _I_ probably could have accomplished in your shoes in such a short time. It takes a long time for big changes to happen."

Kurt nodded, looking down at his shoes.

"At the same time," she continued, ducking her head to try to catch Kurt's eye. "When things do start to happen, they can happen really fast. There's still hope, Kurt. Didn't you say they were having a press conference with some of the heads of the tasking farms, soon?"

"Yes," replied Kurt, sullenly. "After that restaurant and grocery store broke contract with the tasking farms, people start taking and there was a lot of pressure from the community for other companies to follow suit. A lot of people have been talking. Some have been asking that they change their treatment of their taskers, others want the whole thing shut down altogether."

"That's pretty amazing, Kurt," gushed Rachel, patting his shoulder.

"It is, but it doesn't get me Blaine," sighed out Kurt.

He rubbed a hand over his eyes and across his forehead. Taking a deep breath, he finally looked up and forced a small smile onto his face.

"I can't wait to go to New York with you, though, Rachel," he said.

Rachel beamed at him and launched into a long-winded spiel revealing all her plans for their adventures in the city. A lot of it was things she had said to Kurt countless times before, but Kurt didn't mind her chattering that day. He closed his locker door and walked next to her as they headed down the hall to their next class.

* * *

><p>"Hummel!" sounded Puck's voice over the phone. "What can I do for you, bro?"<p>

"Noah," replied Kurt, not able to keep from grinning at the enthusiastic way his former bully answered his call. "I am in need of your... unique talents."

"Caught the break-n-entering bug?" asked Puck, a familiar cocky sound to his voice.

"Something like that, yes," was Kurt's answer as he paced his bedroom floor, telephone pressed to his ear.

"Really?" Puck sounded excited.

"I'm leaving next week for New York," Kurt began to explain.

"Mmmkay," hummed Puck, encouraging Kurt to get to the point.

"And Blaine's still stuck on that farm," continued Kurt, lowering his voice a little as he continued. "There's been talk of them shutting down all the farms but there's a lot of debate on where all the taskers will go and what kind of drain on the economy there'll be."

"Dude," broke in Puck. "I'm not into politics and I'd really like to finish this conversation _before_ retirement."

"Sorry," sighed Kurt, imagining Puck's annoyed expression. "The night before I leave, I want to go to the farm to say goodbye to Blaine."

The line was silent for a few moments as Puck rolled the information around in his head, or at least, that's what Kurt assumed the silence was for.

"So, pretty much, this is you asking me to help you get in one last booty call before you move away," sounded Puck's voice a little later.

Kurt bit the inside of his cheek, stopping himself from snapping at Puck. The light-hearted teasing was evident in Puck's tone and he knew that his sudden need to be defensive was only out of habit.

"Will you help me?" asked Kurt, deciding to ignore Puck's comment.

"Yeah, totally," sounded Puck's reply without a moment's hesitance. "Let me call up Artie. He and I will go scope out the place and get what info we need to get you in and out."

"Actually," cut in Finn's voice, suddenly. "I was hoping I could come."

"Finn?" stammered Kurt in surprise.

"Yeah, sorry for eavesdropping, Man," apologized Finn.

Suddenly, Kurt's bedroom door was pushed open and Finn walked in with the other house phone pressed to his ear.

"You gonna be my accomplice, Hudson?" asked Puck through the phone.

"Yeah," replied Finn, grinning at Kurt. "I'm sticking around Lima for the summer and I need a summer job. I saw they had an ad in the newspaper that they were looking to hire and figured, since Blaine hasn't gotten out, _yet_..." Kurt liked how Finn put emphasis on 'yet'. "...that I'd see if I could get a summer job there so I can keep an eye on him."

Kurt shot Finn a grateful and shocked half-smile. Finn smiled back and shrugged.

"That'd be perfect!" exclaimed Puck, breaking them of their brotherly moment. "We can go over there tomorrow or something to drop off your resume and ask a bunch of questions. Maybe they'll show us around."

"Cool," was Finn's reply.

"Thank you, guys," sighed out Kurt, smiling.

"Finn and I will go tomorrow after school," decided Puck. "Talk to you losers later."

With that, Puck hung up leaving Finn and Kurt standing in Kurt's room, holding phones to their ears. Kurt turned off his phone and looked over at Finn.

"You're the best step-brother a guy could ask for," breathed Kurt, giving Finn a watery smile.

"Yeah, well," answered Finn, not really knowing what to say.

"Next time, though," said Kurt, suddenly levelling him with a glare. "Don't listen in on my phone conversations!"

Kurt smacked Finn on the arm as he walked past, heading into the hallway and down the stairs. Finn frowned slightly and turned off the phone in his hand before leaving Kurt's bedroom.

* * *

><p>It had been overcast all day and the clouds hadn't cleared up come nightfall. Without moon or stars overheard, the darkness seemed that much more looming. Finn pulled Kurt's Navigator over to the side of the rode and turned it off.<p>

"Okay, Hummel," said Puck, turning in the front passenger seat to peer back at Kurt. "Blaine's in barn number four; it's the furthest North on the property. They've got two guys on night shift. Pretty much all they do is sit in the main office and watch the security footage. At midnight and at four am, though, they make rounds checking on all the taskers and breeders and whatever."

Kurt glanced at the time on the vehicle's console, twelve thirty.

"They should just be finishing up their first round of the night, now," said Puck nodding at the time Kurt had been looking at. "There's a moving security camera at the front gate, so, you'll have to cut through one of the fields. Keep your hood up and cover your face as much as you can, you don't want to get caught on one of the surveillance cameras and turn up on the news. I don't think your posh New York University wants a _criminal_ on campus."

Puck's voice grew irate as he spoke the last sentence causing Kurt to wonder if his criminal record was keeping him from his own plans for his future. He realized then that he really had no idea what Puck's plans were for after high school.

"They have security cameras at every barn door," continued Puck. "But none actually inside the buildings."

"So, how do I get in?" asked Kurt, nervously.

"The office window opens," explained Puck. "It's a standard sliding window, it should be easy enough to jimmy open from the outside."

"You're really observant," wondered Kurt out loud.

"You don't have as many unreported breaking and entering as me without being observant," shrugged Puck.

Kurt felt the need to point out that if Puck were to use his intellectual and observational skills toward something else, he might have a lot more options now that school was finished, but quickly decided that now wasn't the time to bring it up.

"Anyway," continued Puck. "There's a wall of keys in the office, you'll have to figure out which number Blaine's room or cell or whatever the fuck those shitty cubicles are, and then get the key to open it."

"Okay," answered Kurt, taking a deep breath.

"Alright, Dude," said Puck, reaching back to give Kurt a fist bump. "Good luck. Don't forget to get the hell out of there before four. Text us when you get in and text us when you're about to leave."

Kurt nodded, returning the gesture with a shaky fist.

"Be careful, Kurt," warned Finn, his voice soft from nerves.

Taking a few more deep breaths and slowly exhaling them through his nose, Kurt steeled himself before grabbing his bag and unbuckling. Puck was opening a laptop on the dashboard between him and Finn and pulling out a few DVDs for them to watch while they waited.

Pushing open the Navigator's door, Kurt stepped out into the grass of the ditch. He pushed the door shut, careful to keep it as quiet as possible. He glanced around, taking in his surroundings for a moment, and then he was off. Scurrying down the ditch toward the fence line, he nearly tripped on the uneven ground. When he reached the barbed wire fence, he tossed his bag over it and then bent down to climb through the lines of wire.

He ran through the field in a crouching position, glancing around nervously as he went. When he reached the side nearest the barns, he stepped toward the wooden gate and quietly unlatched it. The hinges let out a shrill creak as he pushed the gate open. Kurt winced and stood still for a moment, listening intently for any movement. When he was sure that he hadn't disturbed anyone with the sound, he stepped through the gate and scrunched his eyes shut as he swung it back shut and the shrill creak sounded again.

Turning away from the gate, Kurt looked around, eyes now as fully adjusted to the dark as they were going to get. The barn closest to him had a white number three painted just under the peak of the roof, he was close. He looked north and found the furthest barn sitting only a short run away. It looked quiet and unassuming in the dark, the front light on and attracting silent moths, illuminating the white number four painted just under the roof peak in the same was as barn number three.

Staying in the shadows, Kurt hurried across the grass and gravel to the barn. Keeping away from the front door, he approached the side of the barn and walked along it until he found the office window. Using his fingers as his eyes, he studied the window before figuring out where to push to begin to slide it open. It was a little difficult in the dark and from the outside, but he managed to slide the window pane aside. Then came the screen. He really wished he had Puck at his side right then, feeling completely out of his element. He jimmied the sides of the screen clumsily before figuring out how to pop it from its frame. With the screen gone, Kurt was able to jump up and climb into the office.

He was in.

Kurt opened the office door and stepped into the aisle of the barn. He stopped a moment to rifle through his bag for a small flashlight. Once he had it in hand, he flicked it on and walked hurriedly down the aisle, peering into each room as he went.

He was nearly halfway down the length of the barn when the back of a dark-haired head was illuminated from the light of the flashlight. His hair was cut short in a buzz-cut, but Kurt couldn't mistake him.

Kurt's heart, as if it weren't already threatening to pound out of his chest, gave a hard beat and then sped up. Lowering the light so it wouldn't be shining in Blaine's eyes, Kurt stepped closer to the metal bars of the door. It took everything inside him not to just call Blaine's name right then, but he didn't have the key and there was no point in waking Blaine just to run off again. He looked around the front of the room before finding the room number painted in black just above the door.

"Twenty one, twenty one, twenty one," whispered Kurt under his breath as he jogged nearly soundlessly back down the aisle toward the office.

He shone the flashlight at the wall of keys, looking for the key for Blaine's room. Finding it, he grabbed it off the hook and spun on his heel. Blaine was still lying in the same position when Kurt returned to the room seconds later. He took a moment to watch the silent rise and fall of Blaine's chest that was plain to see even though Blaine was lying on his side with his body facing the wall.

"Blaine," whispered Kurt, putting the key in the lock and giving it a turn. "Blaine."

The boy stirred on the bed. Kurt pushed open the door, picked up his bag, and stepped through. The room was a little bigger than the ones in the holding barn. The bed looked slightly more comfortable, the bedding a little less worn, and there were even a few articles of furniture in the room. Overall, the room was much cozier than the holding cells (Kurt called them cells in his mind, because, really, that was what they were). The room was still dismal to say the least, but Kurt felt solace knowing Blaine wasn't living like a POW.

"Blaine," Kurt whispered a little louder.

Blaine stirred some more. Kurt approached his bed, setting down how bag and flashlight on the floor. He reached out and touched Blaine's shoulder, whispering his name over and over until the boy finally rolled over and blinked his eyes open. Even in the dark that was only illuminated by the soft light of the small flashlight, hazel eyes quickly found Kurt's stormy grey.

"Blaine," whispered Kurt again, now that he had his attention.

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN:** thanks for reading! Feel free to come visit me on tumblr! idareu2bme(dot)tumblr(dot)com  
><em>


	20. Chapter 20

**Title:** Man's Best Friend  
><strong>Pairings<strong>: Kurt/Blaine  
><strong>Rating<strong>: R  
><strong>Warnings:<strong> Pet!Blaine, SEX, Barebacking  
><strong>Note<strong>: Thank you to Ittlebitz for her beta work with this chapter! YOU IS THE BEST, HUN!

* * *

><p><em><strong>Chapter Twenty<strong>  
><em>

* * *

><p>Blaine blinked blearily at Kurt, seemingly trying to judge whether this was a dream or reality. Kurt could feel his heart flutter in his chest and he smiled softly at Blaine, reaching out to run his fingers over the boy's stubble-covered cheek.<p>

"Hi," whispered Kurt.

His smile widened when Blaine leaned into his touch, closing his eyes and letting out a deep breath. When Kurt dropped his hand, Blaine looked up at him and scooted backward on his small bed, pushing up the blankets in invitation. Kurt crawled in with him without hesitation and they instantly wrapped themselves around each other.

"I was nervous that you might not remember me," whispered Kurt as he stroked his fingertips through Blaine's short but soft hair. "Well, not 'not remember' so much as not want to remember. It has been so long, Blaine."

Kurt sighed and closed his eyes.

"Then, I thought, maybe it would be a good thing if you didn't love me anymore," continued Kurt. "Maybe it would make this easier for us; easier on you and easier for me to leave you. I'm so glad that it isn't true, though. I don't know if my heart could have handled it. I love you, Blaine and I'll never stop. I don't know how it happened, especially in such a short time. We really didn't have each other very long, and yet, somehow, you got under my skin, somehow you grabbed a piece of my heart."

Tears were freely flowing from Kurt's eyes at that point in his confession, but he ignored them and instead burrowed closer to Blaine as he continued his whispered declarations.

"No matter where I go, or what I do, or who I meet," choked out Kurt, his whispered voice going ragged. "Part of my heart will be missing. You have it, Blaine, and you always will."

Kurt sat up, then, and reached for his bag. Blaine sat up beside him, curiously watching Kurt pull the bag onto his lap.

"I brought you a few things," said Kurt in a soft voice, reaching to wipe the tears from his eyes before opening the bag.

He pulled out the blue blanket that had been Blaine's when he was living with them.

"I thought you might want your blanket from home," spoke Kurt, suddenly feeling shy; a lump of emotion suddenly growing in his throat at calling it '_home_'. "I don't know if they'll take it from you when they come do laundry or how any of that works, but you can at least have it for now."

Blaine took the blanket from Kurt's hands and pressed it against his chest as if he were saying '_thank you__'_. Kurt smiled slightly, watching as Blaine burrowed his face into the blanket and inhaled deeply.

"Finn, um..." Kurt started again, smiling fondly as he pulled a little brown teddy bear from his bag. "This is Finn's, I don't know if there's a story about this between you two, but, um...Finn wanted me to give this to you."

Eyes wide, Blaine dropped the blanket and quickly reached for the teddy bear Kurt was holding out to him. He clutched it to his chest, cradling it like a small child and humming happily. Kurt had no idea of the significance of the bear, but couldn't help the tears that pricked at his eyes when he saw Blaine's reaction.

"Okay, last thing..." started Kurt as he pulled something small from the bag. He paused to nervously bite his lip. "You don't have to take this; actually, maybe it would be better if you didn't. It's stupid, never mind."

Blaine cocked his head to the side, giving Kurt a quizzical look that was obvious even in the dark.

"Sorry, Blaine," sighed Kurt. "Part of me wants you to forget, but this other part of me really, really, _really_ doesn't want you to. So, I just..."

Kurt trailed off when Blaine reached for his hand, taking what looked to be a small piece of paper from it. Biting his bottom lip again with nerves, Kurt watched as Blaine looked at the paper, squinting his eyes to be able to see it in the dark. With a soft exhale, Kurt leaned down, picked up the flashlight and handed it to Blaine.

Taking the flashlight, Blaine held it up to the paper in his fingers so he could see what it was. _Kurt saw the moment Blaine understood because the boy's eyes widened and the corners of his mouth turned up in the beginnings of a grin. Kurt smiled nervously._

_"You better find a good hiding spot for that," whispered Kurt, watching as Blaine studied the small photograph of him. "If you plan on keeping it, that is."_

_Blaine raised the photo to his lips and kissed it. Kurt's heart threatened to beat itself out of his chest at the simple gesture. Blaine turned his eyes onto Kurt, then, and pressed the picture to his chest while holding Kurt's gaze. Kurt gave him a watery smile in return._

Blaine leaned down and pushed the photo carefully under his mattress before sitting back up. Kurt licked his lips absently as Blaine turned to regard him.

The expression on Blaine's face was unreadable, but there was a soft passion beginning to glow in his eyes. Kurt swallowed, his adams apple bobbing on his throat. Then Blaine's hands were on the sides of his face and he was leaning forward. Kurt inhaled sharply before pressing forward. Their lips met awkwardly in the dark.

Pulling back from the kiss, Kurt caught his breath and sighed softly.

"Just wait a minute," he whispered, pulling his cell from his jeans. "I need to set an alarm so I don't stay too long."

He pressed a few buttons on his cell and then reached back to return it to its place. Once the phone was back in his pocket, Kurt leaned forward to capture Blaine's lips in another kiss.

Blaine's hands moved from Kurt's face to glide down his neck, over his shoulders, and clutch around his back, pulling him forward. Kurt reached around Blaine, reaching a hand around his back and one up into his hair. He missed being able to dig his fingers into the dark curls and silently cursed whoever had cut his hair so short. The kiss quickly moved from sweet but passionate into dangerously frenzied, with both boys frantically pulling each other closer, not wanting a hairbreadth of space between them.

Blaine began by pulling the bottom of Kurt's hooded sweater, pushing it up his torso and over his head and arms. After tossing it to the floor, Blaine grabbed at Kurt's shirt and untucked it from his jeans. He grumbled in annoyance at the long column of buttons going down the front of the shirt. Kurt laughed softly and undid the top three buttons before shucking the shirt over his head and tossing it to the floor where it landed next to his sweater. Blaine had already pulled his t-shirt up over his head and was about to toss it to the floor as well, when Kurt turned back to him.

Chests now exposed, Kurt tackled Blaine to the bed, latching their mouths together in another passionate kiss. Blaine groaned in the back of his throat, kneading his hands into the flesh of Kurt's shoulders and back as their tongues sought each other out.

Kurt pulled back for air, his head feeling light from the lack of oxygen he'd received from attempting to breathe through his nose while thoroughly making out with Blaine. He looked down at Blaine then, seeing the muscles in his torso were much more defined than they had been just over half a year ago when they were in a similar position. So much had changed in the last seven months, but the look in Blaine's eyes as he stared up at Kurt was exactly the same.

Blaine reached up and trailed his fingers over Kurt's jaw and down his throat. Kurt swallowed hard as the touch caused goose bumps to pop up over his entire body. Blaine moved to sit up, so he was on his knees, facing Kurt. He lightly continued to trace his fingertips down Kurt's neck and across his collarbones, over his shoulders and down his arm. It tickled and it burned. It was restrained passion and endless love. Kurt found himself shaking.

Moving his hand to trail his fingers back across Kurt's collarbone, Blaine traced them down his other arm. When he reached his hand, he pulled it up to his face and kissed the sensitive inside of Kurt's wrist. Blaine inched forward on his knees and trailed both hands down the front of Kurt's torso, over his pectorals, down his ribs and over his abdomen. Kurt closed his eyes and shivered. When Blaine reached the soft skin just above the waist of Kurt's jeans, he ran his fingers back and forth along the edge of them, tickling the skin and upping Kurt's arousal tenfold.

"Nnnnggfff, Blaine," whined Kurt, reaching down to grab at his hands.

But Blaine suddenly had his face pressed into Kurt's bare stomach and not necessarily in a sexy way. Kurt looked down at him where he had crumpled to his hands and knees, nose squished against Kurt's abdomen.

"Blaine?" whispered Kurt with concern.

Arms reaching to wrap around Kurt's waist, Blaine leaned his weight into Kurt, causing him to sway a little before he regained his balance. Kurt could see Blaine's shoulders begin to quake. Then a small sob escaped Blaine's lips, the sound scarcely loud enough to be heard over Kurt's thumping heart.

Heart ripping in two, Kurt dropped his weight down so he was sitting back on his heels. The movement brought Blaine's face higher up Kurt's torso. He quickly wrapped his arms around Blaine's shoulders and pulled him closer.

"Shhh," soothed Kurt in a low, soothing voice. "I'm here."

He caressed his fingers over Blaine's short hair, holding him tightly as Blaine's sobs grew in strength and sound. The way he pressed his face into Kurt's chest reminded Kurt of so many months earlier when Blaine did that same thing for comfort when he was scared. Kurt closed his eyes and let out a shaky exhale; he was scared, too. Scared of leaving Blaine here all alone, scared of Blaine's future, scared of his own future, scared of what life would be without Blaine in his arms.

After a few minutes of holding him, Kurt could feel Blaine begin to calm and relax in his arms. Kurt pushed him lightly, directing him to lie back on the bed. Blaine easily obliged, raising his face to lock eyes with Kurt as he went. When he was lying on his back, feet flat on the bed, knees bent and raised, Kurt settled between his thighs and leaned over him to kiss him deep and lovingly. Blaine sighed into the kiss, body going limp as Kurt sucked on his bottom lip.

Their hearts were both broken, their minds filled with worry, but Kurt wasn't there that night to deal with the big issues, he was there to be with Blaine. Reality could wait.

Blaine had almost always been the one to really instigate things in the past. Kurt had always been too busy worrying and feeling guilty. That night, though, Kurt had already thrown caution to the wind just by being there, and he needed Blaine to know he was loved.

Pressing kisses along Blaine's jaw line and down his neck, Kurt ran his hands up and down his chest. He continued pressing kisses down Blaine's throat and onto his chest. As he sucked on Blaine's collarbone, he reached down between them and began to pull down Blaine's pants and briefs. He couldn't get them down very far from his position, but Blaine quickly moved his own hands down to help pull them off. Kurt undid the fly of his own jeans as Blaine moved to kick his clothing off his ankles.

Then they were both naked. Chests rising and falling, they regarded each other in the darkness that was only broken by the soft light of the small flashlight lying off to the side. Kurt stared down at Blaine's naked form lying beneath him on the small cot, trying to push the thought of their situation from his mind. He really didn't want to think about the fact that they were naked on Blaine's cot, in Blaine's little prison-cell room, on a tasking farm, and Blaine was a tasker. No, that wasn't something to dwell on. Kurt pushed it from his mind and went back to drinking in the beautiful sight of his lover lying beneath him.

He ran his fingers over the long expanse of beautiful, taut, tan skin covering the tight muscles of Blaine's torso. In the darkness, his skin looked an even darker olive, and so incredibly delicious and rich. Blaine's eyes were locked on Kurt's face as Kurt looked with his eyes and explored with his hands. They were memorizing each other; there was no other way to describe it. Blaine trying to memorize the lines of Kurt's face, the colour of his eyes, the shape of his lips, the angle of his nose, and the expression he was wearing at that moment. Kurt was committing Blaine's every muscle, swell and divot to memory as his fingers traced his form.

Finally, Kurt leaned down to connect their lips again in a deep, passionate kiss that left them both breathless. He let his whole body rest over Blaine's, draping over him like a heavy, warm blanket. Nuzzling his nose into Blaine's neck, Kurt exhaled a deep breath against his soft skin. Their hands found each other and fingers intertwined as they just lay still, skin against skin, breathing against each other and existing in each other's scent.

"This isn't close enough," whispered Kurt after a while.

Blaine's body tensed slightly under him, not understanding Kurt's words. Kurt unwound their hands and pushed himself up so he was hovering over Blaine on his hands and knees. He kissed him softly before sitting up completely, running his hands down Blaine's chest as he went.

Blaine's dick was hard from their close contact and Kurt traced the outline of it with a fingertip against the soft skin of Blaine's lower abdomen. He leaned down and pressed soft kisses against Blaine's hip bones and then moved to mouth over Blaine's cock. A guttural groan, barely audible but obviously there, sounded from up the bed from him as Blaine tensed and grabbed fistfuls of bedding. Kurt licked up and down Blaine's shaft before mouthing over the head and finally taking him into his mouth. Blaine sucked in a deep breath and let out another groan at the new sensation. Kurt worked his tongue over him and then hollowed his cheeks, sucking on Blaine's dick. Blaine's entire frame shuddered.

Then Kurt was pulling off, letting Blaine's cock fall gently back to his belly, unsheathed and wet. Blaine whined in desperation and disappointment. Kurt smiled slightly at him, wiping the back of his hand over his mouth. He then reached over Blaine to pick his bag up off the floor. He had felt absolutely ridiculous putting the small bottle of lube in his bag before leaving that night, but was incredibly glad he had in that moment. He hadn't actually expected or planned on doing anything sexual with Blaine, but at the same time, knowing it was their last time to be together, he wanted to be prepared for it.

Blaine watched him curiously as Kurt uncapped the bottle and squirted some lube out onto his fingers. Kurt laid down beside Blaine then, pressing his face into Blaine's side just below his armpit, and hooking a leg over Blaine's thighs. He mouthed at Blaine's ribs, pushing himself up with his elbow to be able to reach his closest nipple. Blaine groaned as Kurt's mouth latched to his nipple, and he didn't notice how Kurt was reaching around behind himself to press a lubed finger into his entrance. Kurt sucked mercilessly on the aroused nipple as he worked his finger in and out of his own hole, opening himself up in preparation for Blaine.

He let go of Blaine's nipple at the same time as he pulled his hand up to put more lube on so that he could slide two fingers inside. When he moved his mouth back to Blaine's over-sensitive nipple, Blaine gently pushed his face away with a growly groan. Kurt simply pressed his face into Blaine's side and went back to pushing his fingers in and out, scissoring and twisting, wanting to get himself as open as possible for their first time.

Confused by Kurt's strange movements, Blaine sat up and looked down at where Kurt was pressing into himself. Blaine growled at the sight, but a curious expression remained on his face. He leaned over and tentatively placed a hand on Kurt's ass cheek, bending down to get a better view of what Kurt was doing in the dark. Finally, Blaine took hold of Kurt's wrist and moved his hand away.

"I'm not done," whispered Kurt.

He then sputtered as Blaine carefully pressed his own finger to the slightly stretched hole.

"Blaine," groaned Kurt as he felt Blaine's finger slowly press in through the ring of muscle.

Kurt squirmed underneath Blaine, moving to lie on his back and raise his legs. He grabbed Blaine's hand and squirted lube onto his fingers. Folding down Blaine's pinky and ring-finger, Kurt directed Blaine's two fingers back to the pucker of his ass. Blaine nodded in understanding, placing his free hand on Kurt's hip and slowly pressing his fingers to Kurt's hole.

"Gentle," whispered Kurt, his voice shaky.

Moments later, Blaine had a rhythm going that had Kurt whining and writhing beneath him. Soon, Kurt picked up the bottle of lube again, and this time he reached beneath them to take hold of Blaine's dick. Blaine froze in surprise, eyes finding Kurt's in the dark and then slowly moving down to look at Kurt's hand on his penis. Kurt spread the lube over him and then, with his hand against the side Blaine's dick, he directed him to move his hips in closer until the tip of Blaine's head was touching his hole.

Blaine swallowed audibly, looking from his dick at Kurt's entrance back up to Kurt's face. Kurt managed to smile in what he hoped was reassurance, though he already felt wrecked.

"I want you," he said in a whispered voice.

And then, Blaine was pressing in. Kurt tried to make himself relax, knowing that Blaine wouldn't know enough to take it easy at the beginning. Blaine groaned as he pressed deeper into Kurt, the new sensations almost too much for both of them. Kurt wrapped his legs up over Blaine's waist and craned his neck so he could press his lips against Blaine's. The kiss was chaste and sweet, but when they pulled back from it, they both felt a sudden surge of desire.

Moments later they were moving together as if they had done it countless times before. It was desperate, and beautiful, and just a little rough. Blaine was growling in the back of his throat, nipping at Kurt as he plunged deep into him, Kurt keening and panting as he brought his hips up to greet each of Blaine's heavy thrusts. He knew he'd feel it in the morning; it was harsh and heavy and perfect, and he loved the thought of it.

Soon, Blaine's hips were moving out of rhythm and Blaine was falling down against him. Kurt could feel spurts of hot liquid filling him, and he reached down between them to stroke himself. His own orgasm came only moments later, causing him to tighten around Blaine, who groaned happily at the extra pressure on his oversensitive dick. They laid together, sticky with sweat and come, breathing heavily and seeing stars.

Kurt had trouble catching his breath with Blaine's weight over his chest, so he finally rolled them so they were lying on their sides facing each other. The movement caused Blaine to partially come out, but not completely. Kurt could feel himself clenching around Blaine and wondered how Blaine could stand it, but Blaine didn't seem in a hurry to pull out, and Kurt wasn't in any hurry to lose him.

Blaine pressed his face into the crook of Kurt's neck and laughed. He pulled his face back, then, to smile at Kurt. He threw his arms around Kurt's shoulders and laughed some more..._actually laughed_. The closest thing to a laugh he had ever heard Blaine emit was the choked sound Blaine had made the day they were working in his dad's shop together. Kurt froze and stared at him incredulously. Blaine's face looked so open and carefree as he grinned ridiculously at Kurt.

Kurt's heart did a flip in his chest. He smiled back at Blaine before putting his hands behind his neck and pulling him in for a deep kiss. If he didn't already love Blaine, he would have fallen for him at that moment. As it was, he was sure his heart was expanding in his chest to make room for the growing amount of love he felt for Blaine right then.

"I love you," said Kurt, smiling at Blaine as they pulled apart from their kiss.

Blaine smiled at him and leaned back in to kiss him a few more times.

Finally, he moved to pull out of Kurt, suddenly leaving Kurt feeling empty and cold. Kurt sighed softly, frowning at the loss. He had felt so connected to Blaine, and he still did, but the literal aspect of it was gone. He sat up then, wincing at the sharp sensation in his backside, and leaned down to grab his bag. He pulled out a small packet of wet wipes and set to cleaning them off as well as he could. Once finished, he placed the packet and the bottle of lube back into his bag and dropped it lightly back onto the floor.

Pressing into Blaine, he cuddled into his arms and let out a happy sigh as they held each other. Blaine nuzzled his face against Kurt's neck, pressing small kisses against his skin. He reached down to pull a blanket up over them, now that they were both beginning to feel cold as their sweat cooled and dried on their naked skin. Kurt closed his eyes and burrowed deeper into Blaine.

Kurt sighed sadly when the alarm on his cell began to beep, alerting him to the fact that it was almost 4 am and he needed to leave before the night watch came on their rounds. He had almost fallen asleep, safe in Blaine's arms. Blaine blinked his eyes open, coming out of his half-awake, half-asleep state. He frowned as Kurt sat up in the bed and reached over to pick up the beeping cell phone. Kurt sent a text to Puck, telling him he was about to leave Blaine's room. His cell vibrated a moment later with a text from Puck telling him to hurry up.

Standing, Kurt gathered his rumpled clothes from the floor and shakily put them back on. His heart felt like it was seconds from shattering in his chest as he finished pulling on his shirt. He turned to look back at Blaine who was staring up at him from the bed, a sad frown on his face. Kurt pressed his phone into his pocket and then leaned down to softly kiss Blaine's swollen lips.

There was a sad understanding on Blaine's face when Kurt pulled back from the kiss, like he knew this was the end. Everything inside of Kurt was screaming at him to grab onto Blaine and never let go. It was an overwhelming noise in the dead silence of the quiet room. Kurt grabbed his bag from the floor and hitched it over his shoulder before turning back to regard Blaine one last time. He stared at him for a few moments, trying to commit him to memory.

"I'm never going to say goodbye to you," whispered Kurt finally, reaching to run his fingers down Blaine's face before turning to leave.

But they both knew that was exactly what this was.

* * *

><p>The next morning found Kurt himself loading the last of his belongings that he was taking with him to New York into the back of his SUV. His movements were sluggish with lack of sleep and he groaned internally knowing that he had a full day of driving ahead of him. Finn and Burt had been helping him, but now that the work was done, they were standing next to his vehicle and just looking at him with matching sad smiles. Kurt wondered when Finn's expressions had started matching his father's.<p>

"Are you sure you don't want us to come with you?" asked Burt for the _thousandth_ time. "Help you get settled in and all that."

"There's no need for you to drive all the way out there and back," said Kurt, shaking his head. "I have Rachel, we'll be fine."

"Okay, Kiddo," sighed Burt, smiling softly at him.

Carole burst out of the front door of the house in the moment, trotting down the front steps and hurrying down the sidewalk.

"Let me get a photo!" she cried out, smiling too brightly.

Kurt rolled his eyes but smiled fondly. He pulled Finn and his dad to his sides, not willing to be subjected to Carole's proud-momma-moment by himself. She grinned happily as she began taking a bunch of photos of the three men standing beside Kurt's Navigator.

"I don't know what I ever did before digital cameras," she sighed happily, finally putting the camera back in its case after taking what Kurt estimated to be ten or fifteen photos.

She rushed Kurt, then, gathering him in a tight hug.

"I am going to miss you so much, Kurt," she said, her voice strained with emotion. "It has been so amazing getting to know you these past few years. You have grown into such an amazing young man and you are going to take New York by storm."

"Thank you," laughed Kurt, feeling the corners of his mouth tug down even as he tried his best to smile. The lump in the back of his throat was growing. "I love you, too, Carole."

Carole just giving him a watery smile and a kiss on the cheek before letting him go and stepping out of the way so that Finn could give him a hug goodbye.

"I got the job, by the way," whispered Finn as he hugged Kurt. "I'll look out for him, I promise."

"Thank you, Finn," replied Kurt, hugging him tightly. "I'm going to miss you so much, and I promise I'll take care of Rachel for you... as well as I can, that is."

"She's kind of a handful," conceded Finn as he pulled back from the hug and smiled softly at his step-brother.

"I'll miss you," said Kurt, returning the smile.

Finn raised a fist so they could share a fist bump and then stepped out of the way so that Burt could step forward. Kurt saw tears in his father's eyes and it made the lump in his throat almost turn into a sob, _almost_.

"I'm so proud of you, Kurt," said Burt, smiling and wrapping his arms around him.

"Thanks, Dad," sighed Kurt, clutching to him like he was a lifeline.

"If you ever need anything..." Burt let it trail off because it really was unnecessary to say, but he had to put it out there.

"Of course," replied Kurt, softly.

They withdrew from the hug all too soon and then Kurt found himself getting into the driver's seat of his Navigator. He would be driving to Rachel's to pick her and all her things up and then they would be starting their adventure and, soon, their lives in New York. They had planned of flying there, but with the amount of luggage and furniture they had, it had quickly become apparent that driving made more sense. This way, also, Kurt would have his vehicle, even if it was a little big for the sprawling metropolis.

"Drive safe," called out Burt as Kurt got into the vehicle.

Kurt waved out the window as he pulled out of their driveway. He looked in his rear view mirror to see Burt and Carole holding each other and waving back at him, Finn standing next to them waving and bouncing on the balls of his feet. Kurt smiled to himself as a few tears managed to escape his eyes and fall down his cheeks.

He was leaving so much behind, but there was so much ahead of him.


	21. Epilogue

**Title:** Man's Best Friend  
><strong>Pairings<strong>: Kurt/Blaine  
><strong>Rating<strong>: R  
><strong>Warnings:<strong> Pet!Blaine

* * *

><p><em><strong>Epilogue<strong>  
><em>

* * *

><p>"Kurt!" squealed Rachel from the living room of their tiny New York apartment.<p>

Rolling his eyes, Kurt set down his text book and stood from where he had been lounging on his bed studying for his last final exam of the year. He trudged down the short hallway and into the living room to find Rachel huddled up on the couch watching the news.

"Rachel," started Kurt, lifting and eyebrow. "Why are you watching the news?"

"I got a text from Finn telling me to turn on the news," replied Rachel before shushing him and turning up the volume on their television. "He said he texted you, too, but I guess you didn't get it."

Kurt thought of his little black cell phone currently being recharged but his attention quickly shifted to the TV when he heard the reporter say something about Lima, Ohio. He slowly sat down next to Rachel on the couch as the reporter talked about the closing of three different tasking farms, the first of twenty-five scheduled to be closed down across the country over the duration of that year. One of the farms was Blaine's.

Heart thudding heavily in his throat, Kurt strained to hear the words being spoke on the television over the loud rush of blood in his head. The reporter explained that the taskers would be placed for immediate adoption and those left unclaimed would be relocated to other tasking farms that were not scheduled to close down in the immediate future. A woman in an ugly suit was standing next to the reporter, then, and the reporter turned to her and asked her questions about the process of adoption. Kurt held his breath as he took in everything the woman had to say.

When the news story was over, Kurt was to his feet and racing to his room.

"What are you doing?" asked Rachel, getting to her feet to follow after him.

"Packing!" exclaimed Kurt over his shoulder as he disappeared in his room.

"What?" cried out Rachel.

"Didn't you hear the woman?" asked Kurt, pausing to look up from his open suitcase at Rachel who was now standing in his doorway. "They are closing down Blaine's farm. They are giving us a chance to claim the taskers. I have to be first in line, Rachel! I have to go claim Blaine! I have to_ go_!"

At his words, Rachel rushed into the room and threw her arms around Kurt giving him a tight hug and just holding him, grounding him. That was when he realized he was trembling all over, his hands were shaking furiously.

"You have a final exam in two days," whispered Rachel, stroking a hand through his hair.

"They are letting people come adopt their taskers this weekend," replied Kurt in a hoarse whisper. "What if... what if I'm not the first one in line, Rachel? What if, after all this time, I get this chance and then... and then someone adopts him first? No, I'm going back to Lima first thing tomorrow morning, school be damned."

"I'll tell them you had a family emergency," offers Rachel, pulling back from the embrace to smile reassuringly at him.

* * *

><p>Kurt stood nervously in the large office of the tasking farm, shifting his weight back and forth between his feet. His father placed a calming hand on his shoulder and gave him a soft smile. Kurt bit his lip nervously before forcing himself to smile back. They were next in line.<p>

Being under the age of 21, Kurt couldn't legally adopt Blaine himself, he had to share joint custody with his father until his twenty-first birthday. He had been so relieved when his father had simply told one of his employees to cover for him and got into the vehicle with Kurt after Kurt had unexpectedly shown up at his work that morning after driving the 7 hour drive from New York. He would have called his dad first to warn him, except he didn't want to give his dad a chance to tell him no, to try to talk him out of it. There was no way anyone was going to talk him out of this.

"Next," called out an older woman from behind the front desk.

Excitedly, Kurt stepped forward, trying his best not to show his nerves. Without any form of greeting, the woman thrust a clipboard into his hands and then reached behind the desk to pull out a thick binder, setting it down in front of him with a heavy 'plunk'.

"Fill out the forms," she directed, before flipping the binder open to reveal it held pages upon pages of tasker profiles. "You can look through this to pick which tasker you wish to adopt. Bring everything back up when you're done. Try to be quick; we have quite a long line behind you."

"Thank you," said Kurt, pushing the binder back toward her on the counter top. "I already know which tasker I want, though."

An expression of surprise flashed across the woman's grumpy wrinkled face for a split second before she schooled it back into her regular haughty expression with the addition of a raised eyebrow. She didn't say anything, though, as she put the binder away.

Kurt sat down in one of the seats in the front room and began to fill out the paper work. His dad sat down next to him, telling him some of the insurance and other technical information as Kurt asked. Three pages of detailed information later, Kurt found himself smiling as he filled in the name and ID number of the tasker he was requesting at the bottom of the last page.

"You think he'll remember me?" asked Kurt, a sudden wave of anxiety taking hold of him.

"No one could forget you, Kurt," replied Burt instantly.

Kurt stood, then, and walked up to the front desk to pass the clipboard to the woman. She took it from him and glanced over the pages for a few moments before nodding approval and directing him down a hallway. She copied Blaine's name and ID number from the paperwork onto a slip of paper and handed it to a man in white coveralls who was standing at the back door.

"Wait here," she said before spinning on her heel to head back to the front desk. "I'll be back momentarily with your certificate of adoption."

"Deep breaths, son," said Burt, large hands closing over Kurt's shoulders.

Kurt suddenly felt very small. He nodded in response and began to focus on his breathing, eyes shut and hands digging into each other where he had them clenched together. Ten minutes or so later the door was opening and the man in white coveralls reappeared leading a young, broad-shouldered, tan-skinned man with short dark hair and beautiful honey hazel eyes.

With his hair cut in a short buzz cut, his frame filled out with tight muscles, and a matured look to his facial features, he almost looked like a different person. Yet, there was something so impossibly _BLAINE_ about the young man standing before them.

The black nylon collar around his neck (an indicator that he was back to being a pet and no longer a tasker) looked itchy and uncomfortable. Kurt hated it. He also hated Blaine's dejected stance, his submissive posture, the way his eyes were trained on the floor, and the slump of his shoulders. It broke Kurt's heart.

But then Blaine chanced a look to see who his new owners would be and suddenly his eyes were sparkling. Kurt's breath caught in his throat when their eyes met and he quickly reached out for him. The man in the white coveralls placed Blaine's leash in Kurt's outstretched hand, thinking Kurt's movement had been to take it from him. It was probably for the best, Kurt figured once he realized how close he had been to giving himself away.

Heels clicked on the floor and everyone's gazes turned to the woman as she reented the back room. She passed the adoption certificate to Burt along with a copy the forms Kurt had filled out.

"He's yours, now," she said before turning to leave again.

* * *

><p>The moment they reached Kurt's Navigator, Kurt turned to Blaine and threw his arms around him, hugging him tight. Though they were shaking, Blaine's arms quickly moved to wrap around Kurt in reciprocation. The two boys, (<em>well, young men, really<em>) held each other for a long moment. Burt simply got into the passenger seat of the vehicle, leaving them to have their moment.

When Kurt retracted from the hug, he saw tears in Blaine's eyes. He smiled and reached up to wipe at them as they began to fall down Blaine's face.

"Everything is going to be okay, now," said Kurt, unsure as to whether he was saying it for Blaine's benefit or for his own.

He reached around Blaine's neck, then, to unclasp the collar from his neck. When it was undone, he simply let it fall to the ground, having absolutely no future use for it.

"You're mine, now," he said, his voice gravely with emotion. "But... that's only half of it, Blaine... because... because I'm _yours_."

He kicked the collar and leash out of his way before stepping toward the vehicle to open the door for Blaine.

* * *

><p>Only hours later, Kurt found himself driving down the highway headed back to New York. He was exhausted from such a long day, but he was in a hurry to get Blaine home. He had a final exam to make up for and two final projects to turn in... and a beautiful boy he had been waiting almost two years to have as his own. Carole and Burt hadn't been thrilled to see him come and go in the same day, but had relented when Kurt had promised to come spend time with them once school was out for the summer.<p>

Kurt reached across the console and turned on his iPod. Seconds later the sound of a beat made only by piano filled the inside of his Navigator. Kurt grinned to himself as the soft voice of Alejandro Manzano began to sing.

"_Yellow diamonds in the light  
>And we're standing side by side<br>As your shadow crosses mine  
>What it takes to come alive<br>It's the way I'm feeling I just can't deny  
>But I've gotta let it go<em>

_We found love in a hopeless place_

_We found love in a hopeless place_

_We found love in a hopeless place_

_We found love in a hopeless place..."_

Kurt felt his eyes grow misty and he struggled to swallow the lump forming in his throat. He glanced over at Blaine who was sleeping in the seat next to him, head resting against the passenger window, his features softened by sleep. Biting his lip, Kurt shifted his eyes back to the road ahead of him.

"_Yellow diamonds in the light  
>And we're standing side by side<br>As your shadow crosses mine_

_We found love in a hopeless place  
>We found love in a hopeless place<br>We found love in a hopeless place  
>We found love in a hopeless place<em>"

Maybe it would have been wise to have _let it go_ as Boyce Avenue said, but Kurt was so happy he hadn't. It had been a hard almost-two years, but here he was driving back to his apartment in New York with Blaine sitting in the passenger seat. Finn would be flying out in a few weeks to see Rachel and would drive the Navigator back home because New York was no place for a vehicle that size.

Kurt glanced over at Blaine, again. Things weren't going to be easy. Blaine couldn't speak, and his thought process was limited –just how limited, Kurt was resigned to never knowing. Their relationship was not only a faux pas, but illegal. The fact that they could be found out and Blaine taken away from him loomed over Kurt's mind like encroaching storm clouds. How Kurt would afford to support Blaine in New York City while attending school, he wasn't sure.

One thing Kurt was certain of, though, was that he loved Blaine. It was going to be hard, but the important things usually were.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Thank you so much for taking this journey with me, readers!<strong> _

_Come visit me on my tumblr: idareu2bme(dot)tumblr(dot)com_


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